is 


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.;.: 


Laemmle  Donation 


THOMAS  A.  EDISON 

The  Father  of  Moving  Pictures  as  we  know  them 


THE  THEATRE  OF 
SCIENCE 


Volume   of   Progress   and   Achievement  in 
the  Motion  Picture  Industry 


BY 


ROBERT  GRAU 
U 

Author  of 

"Forty   Years    Observation    of   Music   and   the   Drama," 

"The    Business    Man   in    the   Amusement    World," 

"The   Stage  in  the   Twentieth   Century" 


Profusely  Illustrated 


BROADWAY    PUBLISHING    COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  —  LONDON  —  PARIS 
1914 


Copyright,  1914, 

By 
BOBEET  GEAU 


OF  AN  EDITION  OF 
3000  COPIES 

THI5 


To 

DAVID  WARK  GRIFFITH, 
Whose  genius  in  the  perfection  of  the 

Motion  Picture  Art 

contributes   significance  to  this 

Volume. 


Prefatory  I3ote 

In  1910  the  present  writer  (in  the  second  of  this 
series  of  volumes)  ventured  the  prediction  that  the 
motion  picture  play  would  change  the  theatrical 
map  in  this  country  before  1915. 

In  that  year  the  productivity  of  the  film  studio 
was  still  partly  of  the  grade  which  caused  vaude- 
ville managers  to  rely  on  it  as  an  effective  "chaser." 
The  term  "photoplay"  had  just  been  suggested  by 
Mr.  Edgar  Strakosch  as  a  result  of  an  effort  on  the 
part  of  the  Essanay  Film  Company  of  Chicago  to 
obtain  an  appropriate  classification  for  its  releases 
then  gradually  assuming  a  plane  higher  than  in 
previous  years. 

In  a  later  volume  published  in  1912  the  author 
was  emboldened  to  warn  the  theatrical  producers 
that  their  tendency  to  ignore  the  influence  of  the 
camera  man  was  calculated  to  hasten  the  day  when 
catering  to  the  public's  entertainment  along  scien- 
tific lines  would  create  an  upheaval  in  theatredom. 
The  following  year  the  number  of  producers  for  the 
speaking  stage  was  the  smallest  it  had  been  in 
thirty  years,  and  now  all  but  one  of  the  still  sur- 
viving play  producers  have  capitulated — the  ma- 
jority affiliating  with  the  established  film  produc- 


prefatorp  H3ote 

ers,  others  tempting  fate  alone  as  film  producers. 

When  the  present  volume  was  first  planned,  "The 
Theatre  of  Science"  was  intended  to  represent 
every  phase  of  public  entertaining  of  a  scientific 
order,  such  as  the  phonography  the  player  piano,  the 
organ  orchestra,  and  kindred  productions  of  a  me- 
chanical age;  but,  while  the  work  was  in  the  proc- 
ess of  making,  there  came  the  two  and  three-hour 
photoplay  to  the  nation's  first-grade  playhouses. 

The  film  producers  stampeded  the  playhouse  zone 
of  the  metropolis,  erecting  palatial  temples  of  sci- 

Ience,  leasing  also  the  majority  of  the  theatres 
where  the  spoken  drama  had  ceased  to  attract  the 
people  as  of  yore,  and  finally  came  the  productivity 
of  the  film  studios  of  Italy,  such  as  "Quo  Vadis?" 
"Antony  and  Cleopatra"  and  "Oabiria."  The  spec- 
tacle of  the  "dollar"  photoplay  was  now  on  view, 
with  eleven  of  New  York's  high-grade  playhouses 
"between  Thirty-eighth  and  Forty-eighth  Streets  in 
the  camera  man's  possession. 

Therefore  the  author  was  persuaded  to  devote  the 
present  volume  to  the  Motion  Picture  from  all  of 
its  many  angles,  this  decision  being  hastened  ~by 
the  amazing  developments  in  the  early  months  of 
1914-  Moreover,  a  single  volume  has  been  found 
wholly  inadequate  to  present  a  fair  appraisal  of  the 
influence  on  mankind  of  this  new  art  in  the  second 
decade  of  the  twentieth  century. 

The  author  has  nevertheless  endeavored  to  select 
as  subjects  such  productivity  of  the  film  studio  as 
is  represented  by  producers,  directors,  authors  and 
players,  though  forced  to  omit  many  worthy  contri- 
butions to  the  general  progress  in  filmdom,  a  pref- 
erence being  given  to  individuals  whose  careers  and 

vi 


Prefatorg  iQote 

achievements  present  interesting  facts  not  exten- 
sively related  in  the  public  press. 

The  space  devoted  to  individuals  does  not  neces- 
sarily indicate  their  status  as  representative  figures 
in  a  particular  field.  Frequently  the  views  of  such 
individuals  have  been  presented  at  length  because 
of  confirming  the  theories  of  the  author,  or  else  be- 
cause they  touch  on  vital  phases  of  the  Motion  Pic- 
ture art. 

The  prominence  in  text  and  illustrations  of  par- 
ticular subjects  also  is  without  relative  significance 
—often  portraits  were  unavailable  until  too  late; 
not  a  few  made  such  unsatisfactory  engravings  as 
to  render  omission  advisable.  It  is  a  strange  truth 
that  several  gentlemen  who  have  solved  the  greater 
problems  in  picturedom  have  never  posed  before  the 
camera  themselves. 

As  confirmatory  of  my  statement,  attention  is 
called  to  the  group  picture  revealing  W.  N.  Selig, 
Harry  Louder  and  William  Morris  in  the  Selig  stu- 
dio at  Los  Angeles.  It  was  necessary  to  reproduce 
the  illustration  from  an  issue  of  the  "Moving  Pic- 
ture World''  yet  this  is  the  only  picture  of  Mr. 
Selig  available.  There  are  not  a  few  celebrities  in 
film-land  averse  from  publicity.  Others  have  fig- 
ured auspiciously  in  previous  volumes,  or  their  part 
in  the  developmet  of  the  new  art  is  so  well  known 
as  to  render  lengthy  description  at  this  time  super- 
fluous. 

The  author  has  been  impressed  with  the  impor- 
tance of  the  present-day  motion  picture  production 
from  the  standpoint  of  its  influence  on  the  spoken 
play.  This  phase  of  the  unique  theatrical  situation, 
together  icith  the  belief  that  stage  productions  now 

vii 


Prefatory 

providing  the  greater  part  of  the  screen  output  will 
tend  to  inaugurate  the  more  vital  era  of  film  pro- 
ductivity wherein  the  realities  of  life  and  produc- 
tions originating  solely  in  the  film  studio  will  pre- 
dominate, forms  the  basic  theme  of  the  current 
volume. 

ROBERT  GRAU. 
Mount  Vernon,  N.  7. 

June,  Nineteen  Hundred  and  Fourteen. 


viii 


ALICE  JOtfCE 

Kalem  Star 


MARGUERITE  BERTSCH 

Scenario  Editor  Vitagraph  Co. 


J.  HERBERT  BRENON 

Who  produced  "Neptune's  Daughter" 
( Universal) 


Index  to  Contents  by  Chapters 


INTRODUCTORY 

Contributed  articles  by  Claude  L.  Hagen,  J.  Stuart 
Blackton,  J.  Berg  Esenwein,  Sidney  Olcott  and  Alex- 
ander Lichtman. 

CHAPTER    I. 

PAGES  1  TO  21. 

"Zoetrope,"  crude  pioneer  of  motion  photography — 
Experiments  of  Muybridge,  Meissonier,  Acres,  Greene, 
Paul,  Evans,  Marey  and  the  Lumieres,  Anchiitz  and  his 
"Tachyscope" — Thomas  A.  Edison,  George  Eastman 
and  Reverend  Hannibal  Goodwin  contribute  to  the  first 
production  of  motion  pictures — The  "Kinetoscope"  in 
1893  at  World's  Fair  a  slot-machine  device — What 
two  Greeks  told  Robert  W.  Paul,  and  how  the  latter 
utilized  the  Edison  invention  as  the  basis  for  his  "The- 
atrograph,"  afterward  called  "Animatograph" — Ad- 
vent of  Paul's  "Animatograph"  in  London,  followed  by 
Lumiere's  "Cinematograph" — Meanwhile,  the  Latham 
"Eidoloscope"  and  Edison  "Vitascope"  are  revealed 
in  America — Edison  neglects  to  take  out  foreign 
patents,  not  foreseeing  any  craze — A  new  Vitascope 
appears — Now  comes  Lumiere's  "Cinematograph"  to 
Keith's  Union  Square  Theatre,  New  York — A  popular 
success,  but  no  craze  develops — J.  Austin  Fynes'  splen- 

ix 


to  Contents  6g  Cimptetg 


did  exploitation  attracts  the  attention  of  showmen  all 
over  the  country  —  The  Eden  Musee  starts  a  seventeen- 
year  consecutive  vogue  of  moving  pictures  —  The  "Bio- 
graph"  succeeds  the  Lumiere  invention  at  Keith's  —  Cre- 
ates a  furore,  yet  despite  the  success  the  price  of  serv- 
ice declines  from  $350  a  week  to  $50  —  An  epidemic  of 
'graphs  and  'scopes  —  Vaudeville  managers  utilize  the 
now  magic  screen  as  a  "chaser"  to  create  an  exodus  — 
Incompetent  performers  degraded  by  being  relegated 
to  "follow  the  pictures"  more  humiliating  than  to  be 
programmed  for  the  supper  show  —  The  story  of  Rev- 
erend Hannibal  Goodwin,  who  is  hailed  as  a  genius  after 
twenty-six  years'  litigation  and  years  after  he  had 
passed  on  —  His  widow,  now  86,  emerges  from  a  condi- 
tion of  near-poverty  to  one  of  great  affluence  —  The 
"Nicolet"  movement—  Evolution  of  the  "Store"  The- 
atre, on  which  the  prosperity  of  the  film  industry  was 
based,  and  perhaps  still  depends  —  What  has  become  of 
the  real  fathers  of  film  progress?  —  Advent  of  Marcus 
Loew,  Adolph  Zukor,  William  Fox  and  Sol  Brill,  all 
hailing  from  New  York's  East  Side  —  Loew  and  Fox  be- 
gin to  convert  erstwhile  unsuccessful  playhouses  into 
gold-laden  temples  of  science  —  A  tribute  to  the  late 
"Jack"  Fynes,  who  was  the  first  to  seriously  present 
motion  pictures  in  vaudeville  theatres. 

CHAPTER    II. 

PAGES  22  TO  46. 

The  Vitagraph  Company  of  America  —  The  splendid 
institution  created  through  the  harmonious  activities  of 
three  pioneers  who  brought  into  filmdom  the  qualifica- 
tions of  the  artist,  the  inventive  genius  and  the  show- 
man —  A  triumvirate  truly  representing  what  the  new 
art  stands  for  —  How  the  famous  "strike"  of  the  "White 
Rats"  first  opened  the  eyes  of  showmen  to  the  fact  that 
an  entire  entertainment  could  be  given  without  an  ac- 


to  Contents  tig  Chapters 


tor  in  the  flesh  and  with  no  necessity  for  the  "spectre  to 
perambulate"  —  But  for  the  despised  moving  pictures 
the  greatest  vaudeville  institution  in  amusement  history 
would  have  "come  a-cropper"  in  its  inaugural  year 
(1900)  —  Daniel  F.  Hennessy  alone  had  faith,  but  like 
many  others  who  contributed  to  the  evolution  is  rarely 
mentioned  to-day  —  Advent  of  Archie  L.  Shepard,  an- 
other pioneer  who  was  the  first  to  prove  that  people 
would  sit  in  a  theatre  for  two  hours  to  see  moving  pic- 
tures solely  —  Floods  the  country  with  his  camera  shows 
—  Overcomes  overwhelming  obstacles  and  finally  con- 
vinces the  skeptical  theatrical  managers  —  The  tremen- 
dous crowds  attracted  on  Sundays  in  the  East  —  The 
first  concrete  demonstration  of  the  camera  man's  influ- 
ence on  the  theatrical  map  —  Julius  Cahn  the  first  to 
welcome  the  latter  in  his  many  playhouses  —  What  has 
become  of  Shepard,  who  also  was  the  first  to  lease  a 
high-grade  New  York  City  playhouse  and  attract  the 
multitudes  day  and  night  with  pictures?  —  David  Hors- 
ley,  a  pioneer  "independent"  producer  of  photoplays  — 
Some  interesting  history  anent  the  warring  factions 
who  started  the  now  great  independent  movement  — 
How  Horsley  converted  a  disastrous  "Nicolet"  into  a 
factory  and  made  his  own  machinery  and  cameras  — 
Starts  losing  all  his  savings  —  Perseveres  and  finally 
sells  a  part  of  his  holdings  for  $280,000  —  John  J.  Mur- 
dock,  the  man  who  helped  the  independent  producers 
of  moving  pictures  to  solve  their  difficult  early  prob- 
lems —  Another  pioneer  whose  part  in  the  evolution  has 
not  been  fairly  credited  to  him. 

CHAPTER    III. 

PAGES  47  TO  77. 

The  growth  of  the  Universal  Film  Company,  a 
mighty  organization  which  has  survived  an  almost  un- 
paralleled period  of  internal  strife  —  The  Mutual  Film 


XI 


3nDes  to  Contents  6g 


Corporation,  conceded  to  be  the  fastest  growing  and 
one  of  the  most  progressive  of  the  established  man- 
ufacturers; its  remarkable  advertising  campaign  — 
H.  E.  Aitken,  its  head,  in  a  few  years  meteorically 
emerges  from  an  unimportant  position  to  that  of  a  cap- 
tain of  a  vast  industry  ;  the  Kinemacolor  Company,  one 
of  the  first  to  produce  costly  features  in  regular  play- 
houses —  "Warner's  Features,"  in  less  than  two  years, 
becomes  a  vital  factor  of  a  vast  industry  under  the  di- 
rection of  P.  A.  Powers,  who  evolved  "Powers'  Picture 
Plays"  in  the  early  days  of  the  independent  movement 
—  Hobart  Bosworth,  a  high-grade  actor,  late  of  Augus- 
tin  Daly's  Company,  finds  himself  in  the  film  studio  — 
After  a  prolonged  service  to  the  Selig  Company  as  au- 
thor, director  and  producer,  enters  the  producing  field 
on  a  large  scale  to  film  Jack  London's  stories  of  ad- 
venture —  The  large  order  that  Daniel  V.  Arthur  has 
cut  out  for  himself  —  The  All-Star  Feature  Corpora- 
tion, headed  by  Harry  R.  Raver  and  Augustus  Thomas, 
one  of  the  first  producing  organizations  which  pre- 
sented stage  successes  on  the  screen,  and  the  first  of 
these  to  announce  a  policy  of  original  photoplays  writ- 
ten solely  for  the  screen  —  The  Colonial  Film  Company, 
whose  productivity  is  eagerly  awaited  and  expected  to 
be  indicative  of  the  vital  era  of  film  production  —  The 
World  Film  Company,  which  has  just  affiliated  with 
the  Shuberts,  planning  to  adapt  to  the  screen  countless 
plays  and  operettas  of  other  days  —  The  Great  North- 
ern Film  Company,  an  organization  firmly  entrenched 
in  the  American  Film  Mart. 

CHAPTER    IV. 

PAGES  78  TO  99. 

The  amazing  story  of  "Pop"  Ince's  oldest  son  — 
From  five  dollars  a  day  as  an  "extra"  Thomas  H.  Ince 
attains  the  highest  position  possible  —  Present  income 

xii 


to  Contents  ftp  Cfmpters 


exceeds  $100,000  yearly  —  Mary  Fuller  and  Marc  Mac- 
Dermott,  Edison  stars  —  George  W.  Terwilliger,  a  di- 
rector of  photoplays,  who  had  no  previous  connection 
with  the  theatre  —  The  importance  of  the  director  —  Ex- 
perience on  the  speaking  stage  not  the  greater  requisite 
•  —  D.  W.  Griffith's  opinion  of  the  present-day  stage  pro- 
ductions on  the  screen:  "When  their  vogue  is  ended, 
then  will  the  moving  pictures  come  into  their  own"  — 
William  J.  Burns,  the  great  detective,  voices  a  protest 
in  connection  with  the  crime  photoplays  —  The  photo- 
play author  —  Few  successful  photoplay  wrights  are 
"free  lancers"  —  Those  not  engaged  exclusively  with  the 
producers  are  invariably  actors,  playwrights,  or  writers 
for  magazines  and  the  press  —  Some  exceptions  —  The 
Dramatic  Mirror  sends  from  its  editorial  staff  four  of 
the  most  successful  scenario  writers  of  to-day  —  Roy  L. 
McCardell,  the  pioneer  scenario  writer,  who  wrote  for 
"The  Mutoscope"  in  1899  —  Bannister  Merwin,  Em- 
mett  Campbell  Hall,  and  Marc  Edmund  Jones,  prolific 
writers  for  the  screen  —  The  Photoplay  Authors' 
League,  its  scope  and  purpose. 

CHAPTER    V. 
PAGES  100  TO  117. 

The  moving  pictures  of  to-morrow  —  The  realities  of 
life  destined  to  provide  a  greater  portion  of  the  pro- 
ductivity —  Stage  plays  but  a  temporary  resort  due  to 
the  epidemic  of  theatrical  producers  in  filmdom  —  How 
the  films  of  Harry  Thaw  shaped  public  sentiment  in  the 
slayer's  favor  —  The  gratitude  of  the  photoplayer  for 
his  improved  environment  illustrated  by  the  intrepid 
adventures  undertaken  by  staid  and  timid  stagefolk  — 
Charles  Kent  enters  a  lions'  den  emboldened  by  no  other 
incentive  than  appreciation  of  the  "dear  Vitagraph 
Company"  —  The  General  Film  Company  —  Will  theatri- 
cal booking  methods  affect  the  influence  of  a  mighty 

xiii 


to  Contents  6p 


distributing  institution?  —  Carl  Laemmle,  the  "nickel" 
genius,  who  in  a  few  years  became  a  millionaire  and  one 
of  the  pillars  of  the  film  industry  —  Some  interesting 
film  statistics. 

CHAPTER    VI. 

PAGES  118  TO  147. 

Stars  of  the  screen  (Bunny,  Costello,  Kent,  and 
Brooke)  who  found  a  new  Mecca  in  the  film  studio  — 
Many  write,  direct  and  star  in  photoplays  —  Sydney 
Drew's  success  in  new  field  —  Should  the  photoplayers 
face  the  public  in  the  theatres  where  their  artistry  is 
revealed  on  the  screen?  —  Filming  "The  Christian"  — 
Why  has  the  Kalem's  "From  the  Manger  to  the  Cross" 
never  been  properly  presented  in  the  larger  cities?  — 
Showmanship  not  a  requisite  to  exploit  such  produc- 
tions —  The  splendid  record  of  the  Thanhouser  Com- 
pany at  its  New  Rochelle  studio  —  Pearl  Sindelar  and 
Mary  Pickford  prove  that  the  excursion  from  the  film 
studio  to  the  playhouse  stage  can  be  conducted  with 
grace  and  dignity  —  Great  mistake  to  take  the  public 
into  the  manufacturer's  confidence  to  "show  'em  how  it 
is  done." 

CHAPTER    VII. 

PAGES  148  TO  166. 

Romaine  Fielding,  a  representative  product  of  a  new 
art,  who  entered  the  film  studio  practically  unknown 
and  achieved  fame  as  author,  director,  star,  and  pro- 
ducer —  Miriam  Nesbitt  and  Lottie  Briscoe,  both  with 
prolonged  stage  careers,  achieve  added  fame  in  the 
newer  field  —  Francis  Bushman,  idolized  by  millions  of 
photoplaygoers  all  over  the  world  and  who  won  The 
Ladies9  World  contest,  creates  for  the  screen  Louis* 
Tracy's  "Our  Hero"  —  Arthur  Vaughan  Johnson,  the 
Sol  Smith  Russell  of  the  screen  —  Lloyd  B.  Carleton, 
Lubin  director  —  The  Handworths,  Octavia  and  Harry, 

xiv 


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who,  like  a  few  others,  are  now  producing  in  their  own 
studio — Giles  R.  Warren,  who  writes  and  directs  photo- 
plays— Marion  Leonard,  the  first  photoplay  celebrity, 
now  entrenched  in  her  own  studio — Oscar  C.  Apfel,  who 
made  "Reliance"  photoplays  famous,  now  directing 
Lasky  productions. 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

PAGES  167  TO  179. 

The  New  York  Motion  Picture  Company — Its 
growth  a  tribute  to  the  enterprise  of  Messrs.  Kessel  and 
Baumann,  who  represent  a  great  industry  in  the  fullest 
sense — W.  N.  Selig,  pioneer  and  genius  of  a  20th  cen- 
tury new  art,  whom  Elbert  Hubbard  calls  "Energy 
personified" — Siegmund  Lubin,  the  man  of  destiny, 
erstwhile  optician,  present-day  philanthropist — Betz- 
wood  now  called  Lubinville. 

CHAPTER    IX. 

PAGES  180  TO  205. 

Ch.  Jour j  on,  of  Paris  and  New  York,  head  of  the 
Eclair  Company — Adolph  Zukor,  who  created  the  Fa- 
mous Players  Film  Company,  and  who  conceived  the 
idea  of  immortalizing  the  actor — The  Paramount  Fea- 
tures Corporation  means  theatrical  methods  in  "Book- 
ing" films — The  unique  place  William  L.  Sherry  has 
made  for  himself  in  less  than  two  years,  proving  that, 
after  all,  high-grade  business  methods  is  the  greater 
requisite  in  filmdom — Marcus  Loew  reducing  his  vaude- 
ville commitments  and  increasing  his  moving-picture 
investments  means  merely  a  return  to  first  principles — 
David  Bernstein,  who  began  with  Loew  at  $16  a  week, 
now  earning  $50,000  a  year — The  Essanay  Film  Com- 
pany of  Chicago — The  distinguished  players  who  ap- 
pear before  the  camera  for  Pathe  Freres — The  Eclectic 
Film  Company  in  two  years  became  a  tremendous  fac- 

xv 


to  Contents  fig  Chapters 


tor  in  the  industry  —  Herbert  Blache,  one  of  the  few 
producers  of  photoplays  who  is  adept  in  all  phases  of 
the  art  —  Canadian  Bioscope  Company  —  Helen  Gardner, 
who  produced  "Cleopatra"  in  her  own  studio  —  The  high 
ideals  and  aims  of  a  former  Vitagraph  star  who  now 
returns  to  the  Brooklyn  organization. 

CHAPTER  X. 

PAGES  206  TO  232. 

Early  days  of  the  photoplay,  when  stagefolk  stam- 
peded the  studios  —  Florence  Turner,  "The  Vitagraph 
Girl,"  who  is  now  producing  "feature  films"  in  London, 
aided  by  "Larry"  Trimble,  who  went  to  the  Vitagraph 
studio  to  write  magazine  stories  and  remained  to  be- 
come one  of  the  most  prolific  authors  of  photoplays  and 
an  expert  director,  though  he  never  was  associated  with 
the  theatre  in  any  capacity  —  King  Baggot's  success 
due  to  hard  work,  loyalty,  and  seriousness  of  purpose  — 
Alice  Blache,  first  woman  to  produce  for  the  screen  in 
her  own  studio  —  The  late  Henry  Lee's  daring  under- 
taking in  a  primitive  period  of  film  history  —  Maud 
Fealy  scores  as  a  photoplay  star  —  Lorimer  Johnston's 
splendid  record  with  the  "Flying  A";  now  producing 
for  himself  —  Frederick  Thompson,  one  of  the  former 
stage  directors  to  achieve  fame  in  the  film  studio  —  The 
photoplay  creating  new  playgoers  for  the  speaking 
stage  —  No  serious  effort  yet  in  evidence  to  entice  the 
millions  of  photoplay  "fans"  into  the  playhouses  where 
the  actor  in  the  flesh  holds  forth—  What  "Billy"  Brady 
has  predicted,  and  what  he  has  overlooked. 

CHAPTER    XI. 

PAGES  233  TO  246. 

The  motion-picture  conquest  of  the  press  —  Editors 
of  magazines  and  newspapers  reluctant  to  recognize  the 
camera  man's  influence  until  long  after  Europe  had 

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hailed  him  as  a  serious  factor  in  the  life  of  the  people  — 
The  first  to  capitulate  —  Affiliation  between  the  film 
studio  and  the  editorial  sanctum  now  complete  —  The 
Edison-Ladies9  World  collaboration  for  "What  Hap- 
pened to  Mary"  starts  a  new  era  —  W.  N.  Selig's  pro- 
duction of  the  "Kathlyn"  series  with  two  hundred  news- 
papers publishing  the  fiction  chapters  in  instalments  — 
Charles  J.  Hite  induces  Harold  MacGrath,  creator  of 
"Kathlyn,"  to  write  another  serial  photoplay  from  the 
scenario  of  Lloyd  Lonergan  ;  two  hundred  newspapers 
to  present  the  fiction  chapters. 

CHAPTER    XII. 

PAGES  247  TO  271 

The  "trade"  issues  of  a  great  industry  —  The  late 
J.  P.  Chalmers  established  an  organ  of  the  industry 
which  now  requires  one  hundred  and  fifty  pages  and  still 
growing  —  The  Motion  Picture  News,  under  a  new  re- 
gime, forges  ahead  —  The  Morning  Telegraph  in  1909 
starts  a  film  department  —  Now  the  source  of  its 
greatest  financial  income  —  Billboard  the  first  to  repre- 
sent the  infant  industry  —  The  theatrical  weeklies  all 
establish  departments  long  before  the  "trade"  issues 
appear  —  The  Dramatic  Mirror9  s  influence  —  The  amaz- 
ingly quick  growth  of  The  Motion  Picture  Magazine, 
The  Photoplay  Magazine,  and  Moving  Picture  Stories 
—  All  enjoy  prosperity  —  The  "Larry  s"  of  Filmdom  — 
Four  former  Proctor  stage  directors  achieve  fame  in 
the  studios  —  J.  Searle  Dawley's  definition  of  the  Drama 
of  Silence  —  Harold  MacGrath's  faith  in  the  future  of 
the  new  art  —  Charles  M.  Seay,  Edison  director,  author, 
and  star,  deplores  the  onrush  into  filmdom  of  the  the- 
atrical producers  —  Will  they  create  an  upheaval?  —  The 
Edison  visualization  of  Robertson's  "Caste"  a  genuine 
treat  —  Ethel  Clayton,  Lubin  star  —  John  E.  Ince,  the 
last  of  the  Brothers  Ince  to  enter  the  new  field,  already 

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a  tremendous  factor  —  Will  the  successful  producers  of 
photoplays  offer  reprisal  and  enter  the  field  of  the 
theatre  in  competition  with  the  gentlemen  who  have 
come  into  their  realm? 

CHAPTER    XIII. 

PAGES  272  TO  290. 

The  influence  of  "Quo  Vadis?"  —  the  first  photoplay 
to  be  booked  in  the  best  theatres  in  the  same  manner  as 
a  spoken  play  —  George  Kleine,  who  produced  it,  the 
type  of  film  magnate  on  which  the  future  of  the  indus- 
try depends  in  this  country  —  "Cabiria"  unquestionably 
the  best  film  production  and  the  most  artistic  up  to  this 
period  —  The  remarkable  production  of  "Neptune's 
Daughter"  reveals  Annette  Kellermann  as  a  real  star  of 
the  screen  —  "The  Lightning  Conductor,"  the  first  pro- 
duction by  stagefolk  presented  in  true  "movie"  style  — 
Harry  C.  Myers,  "Lubin's  Boy,"  and  his  success  after 
a  precarious  stage  career  —  Frank  Powell,  Pathe  direc- 
tor —  Mack  Sennett,  whose  genius  as  a  producer  of 
comedies  has  brought  him  an  annual  income  as  large  as 
the  President  of  the  United  States  —  Los  Angeles,  the 
city  of  films  —  Seventy-two  studios  within  a  few  miles  of 
the  beautiful  California  metropolis,  and  more  building. 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

PAGES  291  TO  306. 

S.  L.  Rothapfel,  the  first  to  present  photoplays  with 
adequate  musical  accompaniment,  and  who  "rehearsed 
the  films,"  now  hailed  as  "the  impresario"  of  picture- 
dom  —  The  so-called  exhibitor  a  misnomer  for  the  mod- 
ern exploiter  of  moving  pictures  —  Frank  T.  Montgom- 
ery, "the  motion  picture  man"  —  William  Fox,  one-time 
vaudeville  performer,  now  owner  of  a  score  of  palatial 
theatres  —  Tom  Moore,  also  former  vaudevillian,  now 
"Movie  King,"  owns  ten  theatres  in  Washington,  D.  C. 
—  Felix  Isman's  activities  —  F.  F.  Proctor  one  of  the 

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first  to  end  the  use  of  the  camera  man's  productivity  as 
"a  chaser"  —  M.  B.  Leavitt,  at  the  age  of  seventy,  enters 
the  film  industry  to  exploit  "Sixty  Years  a  Queen"  — 
The  Strand  Theatre  and  its  proprietors  —  Benjamin  S. 
Moss,  of  Moss  &  Brill. 

CHAPTER    XV. 

PAGES  307  TO  330. 

Many  volumes  on  the  technique  of  the  photoplay,  but 
few  of  which  serve  any  useful  purpose  —  The  publicity 
departments  of  the  larger  manufacturers  —  A  new  field 
for  clever  press  agents  who  desert  the  theatrical  pro- 
ducers to  become  permanently  intrenched  in  sumptuous 
offices. 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

PAGES  331  TO  343. 

The  technical  side  of  moving  pictures  —  Charles  B. 
Kleine  and  his  successor,  Henry  Mestrum  —  Carl  J. 
Lang,  of  Olean,  N.  Y.  —  J.  F.  Rembusch  and  his 
"Mirror  Screen"  —  The  Organ  Orchestra  —  Mr.  Austin's 
views  as  to  the  organ  replacing  an  orchestral  body  — 
The  Wurlitzer  Unit  Orchestra  now  in  general  use  all 
over  the  country  —  Projection  lenses  —  The  Brush  elec- 
tric lighting  set  —  The  problem  of  proper  seating  of  the 
patrons  of  the  photoplay. 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

PAGES  344  TO  362. 

The  evolution  in  the  Windy  City  —  Moving  pictures 
make  Chicago  a  theatrical  center  —  The  triumvirate 
(Jones,  Linick,  and  Schaefer)  and  their  achievements  —  • 
The  Chicago  vaudeville  agents  of  to-day  owe  their  pros- 
perity to  the  camera  man  —  New  York  vaudeville  agents 
now  "booking"  films  —  Talking  pictures  yet  in  the  de- 
veloping stage  —  The  "Imperial  singing  pictures"  may 

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start  a  new  craze  —  Mark  M.  Dintenfass  and  the  "Cam- 
eraphone"  —  First  concrete  talking-picture  device  —  A 
suggestion  to  Mr.  Edison  —  Why  not  "Pagliacci,"  with 
Caruso  and  Amato  ?  —  Who  will  preserve  for  future  gen- 
erations the  remnants  of  Patti's  voice?  —  Marinelli,  the 
international  agent,  now  actively  booking  photoplays  — 
When  the  author  failed  to  avail  himself  of  the  benefits 
of  a  scientific  era. 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

PAGES  363  TO  380. 

Photoplay  stars,  authors,  and  directors  —  Interesting 
incidents  in  their  stage  and  film  careers. 


LAST  MOMENT  ADDENDA 


Since  the  present  volume's  plates  were  made,  many  im- 
portant changes  have  developed,  as  follows : 

Carlyle  Blackwell  has  left  "The  Famous  Players"  to  pro- 
duce for  his  own  account.  The  Blackwell  productions  will 
be  released  by  the  Alco  Film  Company,  of  which  Alexander 
Lichtman  is  the  head. — Eussell  Bassett  has  ended  his  long 
service  with  the  Nestor  brand  of  film  to  join  "The  Famous 
Players"  Company. — Mary  Fuller,  Walter  Edwin,  Charles- 
Ogle,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  Jay  Williams  and  Ben  Wilson  have 
left  the  Edison  Company  to  become  permanently  identified 
with  the  Universal  brand  of  films. — Eosemary  Theby, 
Harry  C.  Myers  and  Binsley  Shaw,  long-time  Lubinites, 
have  also  entrenched  themselves  under  the  Universal 
banner. 

The  Frohman  Amusement  Corporation,  of  which  Gus- 
tave  Frohman  is  the  artistic  head,  is  to  produce  particu- 
larly the  successes  of  the  Madison  Square  Theater.  All 
three  of  the  brothers  Frohman  are  now  producing  for  the 
screen. — Oscar  Hammerstein  will  present  photoplays  with- 
adequate  musical  setting  at  his  new  Opera  House  on  the 
upper  East  Side. — Werba  &  Luescher,  who  direct  the  tours' 
of  "Cabiria"  for  Harry  E.  Eaver,  have  already  rehabilitated 
themselves  and  are  once  more  large  factors  in  the  amuse- 
ment field. — Ethel  Barrymore  is  the  first  star  of  the  speak- 
ing stage  to  appear  in  an  original  photoplay  by  a  famous 
playwright  of  the  older  breed,  entitled  "The  Nightingale," 
by  AugMstus  Thomas,  and  released  by  the  All  Star  Feature 

1 


LAST    MOMENT   ADDENDA 

Company. — Lew  Dockstader  has  scored  his  usual  success  on 
the  screen  in  "Dan/'  by  Hal  Reid. — Arthur  James  has  suc- 
ceeded Philip  Mindil  in  charge  of  the  vast  publicity  and 
publications  of  the  Mutual  Film  Corporation,,  and  Mr. 
Mindil  has  established  a  general  publicity  bureau  in  the 
theatrical  district. — Don  Meanay,  long  the  mouthpiece  of 
the  Essanay  Film  Company,  has  left  that  concern  and  is 
now  in  New  York  in  a  similar  capacity. 

By  an  arrangement  between  Charles  Frohman  and 
Maude  Adams,  the  latter  will  not  act  before  the  camera  in 
any  of  the  Barrie  plays. 

Considerable  retrenching  was  in  evidence  in  the  film  in- 
dustry simultaneous  with  the  advent  of  the  colossal  Euro- 
pean war,  though  the  prevailing  opinion  is  that  the  photo 
playhouse  will  not  be  materially  affected.  The  almost  in- 
stantaneous presentation  of  "war  films"  may  serve  to  point 
out  to  the  manufacturers  that  the  greater  function  of  the 
motion  picture  is  not  that  of  presenting  photoplays.  It 
is  a  significant  fact  that  while  the  summer  period  is  ad- 
mittedly the  most  opportune  for  film  productions,  but  two 
of  the  countless  features  presented  in  New  York  during 
this  period  had  a  prolonged  vogue,  namely  "Cabiria"  and 
"Neptune's  Daughter." 

Messrs.  Thomas  H.  Ince  and  Mack  Sennett,  famous  di- 
rectors for  the  New  York  Motion  Picture  Corporation,  vis- 
ited the  metropolis  in  July  for  a  confab  with  the  Messrs. 
Kessel  and  Baumann.  Eumors  of  strained  relations  were 
quickly  silenced  through  the  statement  of  both  of  the  visit- 
ing directors  that  the  future  productions  of  the  company 
would  be  on  a  scale  far  beyond  previous  efforts. 

Charles  J.  Hite,  one  of  the  most  progressive  of  film  mag- 
nates, was  killed  in  an  automobile  accident  in  this  city  on 
August  22,  1914. 

2 


SnttoDurtorp 

THE  THEATRE  OF  SCIENCE 

By  Claude  L.  Hagen,  Late  Technical  Director  of 

The  New  Theatre. 

One  of  our  best-known  amusement  managers,  Will 
J.  Davis,  high  in  the  councils  of  the  magnates  who 
control  the  speaking  drama  and  legitimate  theatres,  has 
just  announced  his  retirement.  In  speaking  of  the 
current  theatrical  situation,  which  we  understand  to 
mean  the  field  he  is  engaged  in,  he  is  quoted  as  say- 
ing : — "There  is  a  decided  lack  in  the  warmth  of  feeling 
that  once  existed  between  the  business  end  of  the 
game,  the  performers,  and  their  audience.  To  the 
lack  of  this,  in  my  opinion,  may  be  attributed  the 
success  of  the  'movie/  "  This  will  be  best  understood 
by  those  who  are  familiar  with  the  amusement  field 
for  the  past  thirty-five  years.  It  is  scarce  twenty  years 
since  it  was  as  free  as  any  art  or  profession.  Compe- 
tition was  its  life  and  success;  in  fact,  it  was  practi- 
cally in  the  same  condition  as  we  find  the  moving  pic- 
ture industry  to-day.  Fires  of  ambitions  were  kindled 
in  the  earlier  days  which  have  withstood  the  siege  of 
commercialized  management.  In  the  "movie"  world 
these  fires  have  been  renewed.  It  is  this  warmth  which 

xxi 


SntroDurtorp 


has  drawn  new  managers  and  wealth  to  aid  science  in 
preserving  the  art  of  acting.  The  lion  in  his  native 
jungle  can  do  many  more  interesting  and  intelligent 
things  than  man  compels  him  to  do  in  captivity.  His 
spirit  is  broken  by  his  condition;  so  it  is  with  the 
actor.  Life  is  controlled  by  two  dominant  forces — 
love  and  fear.  The  actor  who  is  dominated  by  the  fear 
of  suffering  and  starvation  is  not  mentally  or  physi- 
cally fit  to  play  a  love  scene  that  will  warm  either  his 
managers  or  their  audience.  So  powerful  is  this  phe- 
nomenon of  warmth  or  fascination  that  it  will  radiate 
from  a  photograph  of  its  possessor. 

About  the  time  commercialism  seized  the  dramatic 
art  science  had  created  a  light  that  marked  an  epoch 
/  in  the  history  of  art,  as  important  as  the  Star  of  Beth- 
lehem did  in  religion.  This  light  sizzled  and  spat  as  it 
sputtered  its  importance  to  the  wizards  of  progress. 
Its  toddling  steps  in  the  moving-picture  world  is  his- 
tory. Wise  men  saw  it  and  said:  "How  much?"  It 
cost  not  much  more  than  tickets  for  a  family  to  see  a 
successful  show.  Then  they  got  busy.  Studios  were 
erected,  directors  and  actors  engaged,  and  places  to 
exhibit  in.  The  public  came  and  were  entertained; 
and,  like  the  little  peach  in  the  orchard,  they  grew 
and  grew.  The  Napoleons  and  Neros  of  the  dramatic 
world  waxed  exceedingly  wroth;  but,  not  forgetting 
their  love  for  the  dear  public  which  Vanderbilt  once 
said  "be  damned!"  invoked  the  aid  of  the  authorities  to 
enact  such  laws  as  would  protect  the  patrons  of  their 
opposition  from  possible  calamity,  such  as  fire,  over- 
crowding, and  morals.  But  the  "movie"  manager  hav- 
ing had  a  taste  of  the  managerial  pie,  said:  "Good 
business,"  and  did  build  temples  of  amusement  so 
beautiful  and  perfect  they  were  graft-proof,  and  filled 

xxii 


StttroDimorg 


them  with  wondrous  music,  songs,  dancing,  and  mov- 
ing-picture plays,  and  the  price  of  admission  thereto 
was  equal  in  value  to  that  paid  by  the  wise  men  of  the 
spoken  drama  for  a  shoe  polish.  And  the  populace  did 
fight  for  admission  to  these  temples,  which  were  filled 
to  overflowing  day  and  night.  Again  was  the  law  in- 
voked to  aid  the  song-and-dance  monopoly,  and  they 
came  unto  their  own,  and  called  the  law  blessed.  In 
the  meantime,  science  and  art  were  busy;  more  per- 
fect and  artistic  became  the  science  pictures,  and  in 
proportion  thereto  came  pilgrims  who  worshiped  the 
magic  sheet,  as  sweet  music  lulled  the  tired  bodies  to 
rest.  Then  they  returned  to  their  places  of  abode  and 
gathered  all  therein  and  hastened  to  the  temples,  that 
they,  too,  might  worship.  And  the  wise  men  of  the 
"movies"  grew  exceedingly  rich  and  did  mingle  with 
and  brag  much  to  the  managers  of  the  speaking  drama, 
one  of  whom  started  to  growl,  just  as  another  one 
said  "Ouch!"  and  it  is  believed  to  this  day  that  this 
was  the  origin  of  the  word  "grouch." 

Soon  the  S.  D.  managers  were  knocking  at  the  doors 
of  the  M.  P.  managers'  workshops.  They  found  a  bee- 
hive of  industry.  All  were  slaves,  but  only  of  science, 
art  and  theatricals,  who  had  found  an  Elysium  in  which 
they  worked  in  self-respect,  confident  of  their  posi- 
tion. From  their  willing  minds  and  happy  hearts 
flowed  gems  of  tragedy,  comedy,  pathos,  and  bur- 
lesque, all  to  be  acted  to  the  eye  of  a  camera  and  then 
given  to  the  light  of  science  to  project  on  the  magic 
sheets  of  the  temples.  Said  one  of  the  visitors  to  an 
employee:  "You  worked  for  me  once,  did  you  not?" 
"Yes,  sir;  and  you  told  me  to  go  to  hell.  But  you  see 
I  didn't,  sir,"  was  the  answer.  These  moving-picture 
actors  reflect  their  environment,  legal  and  binding  en- 

xxiii 


SntroDitctorp 


gagements,  all  rehearsals  paid  for,  Sundays  and  holi- 
days for  home,  traveling  expenses  while  absent,  and 
much  of  their  time  spent  among  beautiful  and  inter- 
esting outdoor  scenes  that  form  their  acting  stage. 

Is  it  to  be  wondered  at,  with  these  humane  condi- 
tions, that  authors,  actors,  and  science  await  the  call 
to  "movie"  land?  Their  heart  is  in  their  work;  they 
hesitate  at  nothing  to  carry  out  the  play  in  hand.  We 
laugh  and  cry  with  them,  sympathize  with  their  pre- 
dicaments, and  applaud  their  heroism.  There  is  no 
lack  of  warmth  between  the  business  end  of  the  movie 
game,  the  performers,  and  their  audience,  and  therein 
lies  the  secret  of  their  success.  Lately  an  attempt  has 
been  made  to  form  a  film  trust.  The  gentlemen  en- 
gaged in  this  affair  are  pleading  with  Uncle  Sam  for 
more  time  to  prepare  their  answer;  in  the  meantime, 
they  provide  films  to  any  who  require  them  in  their 
business,  and  will  continue  to  do  so.  Recently  film 
pictures  of  a  character  so  offensive  they  were  not  ap- 
proved by  the  board  of  censors  and  prohibited  by  the 
police,  who  arrested  the  principals,  were  shown  in  one 
of  New  York's  leading  theatres,  practically  following 
a  spoken  dramatic  production  of  Longfellow's  beauti- 
ful poem,  "Evangeline."  Whether  the  production  of 
these  offensive  pictures  was  a  direct  attempt  to  dis- 
credit the  moving-picture  play  remains  to  be  seen. 
But  to  the  credit  of  the  latter  it  is  on  record  that  these 
films  were  fathered  by  the  sociological  society  of  New 
York,  mothered  by  ladies  of  the  reform  world,  and 
damned  by  every  decent  citizen.  Within  the  very  cita- 
dels of  the  chiefs  of  the  speaking  drama  may  be  heard 
the  music  of  the  builders'  tools,  as  they  mold  into  form 
temples  for  the  movie  fan  to  worship  in.  The  dramatic 
stars  of  yesterday  are  vacating  the  theatres  on  the 

xxiv 


amroouctorp 


"Great  White  Way,"  to  make  room  for  the  movie,  who 
proclaims  something  new  under  the  sun.  The  sizzling, 
sputtering  light  of  earlier  science  now  beams  its  mis- 
sion as  silently  as  did  the  Star  of  the  East.  Its  work 
has  just  begun.  The  movie  is  king.  Long  live  the  king ! 


f 


LITERATURE  AND  THE  MOTION  PICTURE— 
A  MESSAGE 

By  J.  Stuart  Blackton 

In  the  dual  capacity  of  member  of  the  Authors' 
League  and  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the  most  wonderful 
art-science  of  the  age — the  motion-picture  industry — 
the  writer  feels  perhaps  doubly  qualified  to  throw  some 
light  upon  a  subject  mutually  interesting  to  both  au- 
thor and  picture  producer. 

A  few  years  ago,  to  the  uninitiated,  "Moving  Pic- 
tures" spelled  little  more  than  pantomime,  buffoonery, 
or  sensational  catch-penny  show  device.  To-day  there 
are  few  who  maintain  this  view,  and  they  are  the  unen- 
lightened; to  the  vast  majority  of  those  familiar  with 
the  art  and  interested  in  its  progress  the  word  is  sym- 
bolic of  things  important  and  far-reaching. 

Literature  is  literally  the  basic  foundation  upon 
which  the  already  gigantic  edifice  of  Picturedom  has 
risen. 

Ten  or  twelve  years  ago,  picture  manuscripts  were 
unknown — office  boys,  clerks,  camera  operators,  any 
one  with  an  "idea"  furnished  the  material  from  which 
motion  pictures  were  produced.     Plot  was  unknown, 
technique  did  not  exist,  and  literary  and  constructive 

XXV 


3ntroDitctorp 


quality  was  conspicuous  by  its  absence.  But  the  art 
developed  rapidly.  It  was  found  possible  to  do  more 
than  portray  outdoor  scenes  of  moving  trains  and  other 
objects  or  simple  pantomimes  with  exaggerated  ges- 
ture a  la  Frangaise.  Methods  were  discovered  and 
evolved  whereby  powerfully  dramatic  scenes  could  be 
produced,  subtlety  of  expression  in  either  serious  or 
humorous  view  could  be  communicated  to  numberless 
people — their  emotions  played  upon,  laughter  or  tears 
evoked  at  will — in  other  words,  the  motion  picture  "got 
across"  just  as  surely  as  the  written  or  spoken  drama 
— but — without  words.  The  Silent  Drama  was  born. 

Classic  and  standard  literature  were  then  reproduced 

.in   picture   form — Shakespeare,    Dickens,    Thackeray, 

|  Scott,  and  Hugo  became  known  to  millions  of  people 

whose  previous  acquaintance  with  their  famous  names 

was  either  very  slight  or  non-existing;  it  was  at  this 

stage  when  literature  was  combined  with  the  other  arts 

allied  in  picture  production  that  the  real  impetus  was 

given  and  the  triumphant  onward  march  of  the  world's 

greatest  educator  and  entertainer  commenced. 

To-day  millions  are  invested  in  great  industrial 
plants  for  the  creation  and  manufacture  of  the  word- 
less drama;  thousands  of  people  rely  upon  it  as  their 
maintenance  and  profession — millions  upon  millions  of 
men,  women,  and  children  all  over  the  world  look  upon 
this  form  of  entertainment  as  their  principal  recreation 
and,  incidentally,  are  being  unconsciously  educated  to 
understand  and  appreciate  the  higher  forms  of  art  and 
culture. 

Bernard  Shaw  says:  "The  great  artist  is  he  who 
goes  a  step  beyond  the  demand  and,  by  supplying 
works  of  a  higher  beauty  and  a  higher  interest  than 
have  yet  been  perceived,  succeeds  after  a  brief  strug- 

xxvi 


SntroDiictorp 


gle  in  adding  this  fresh  extension  of  sense  to  the  heri- 
tage of  the  race." 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  works  of  higher  beauty 
and  interest  accomplished  by  the  real  artists  in  the 
motion-picture  profession  have  been  widely  productive 
of  the  "extension  of  sense"  above  quoted. 

All  this  brings  us  to  the  practical  purpose  of  this 
article — the  dissemination  among  those  who  write,  the 
intelligence  that  a  new  and  fruitful  field  is  open  for 
the  works  of  their  pens.  The  short-story  writer  who 
gets  from  one  hundred  to  five  hundred  dollars  for  mag- 
azine stories  can  get  a  similar  amount  from  the  picture 
manufacturers ;  the  authors  of  international  fame,  who 
make  thousands  in  royalties,  can  make  thousands  more 
from  picture  royalties — and  in  every  case,  without  in- 
terfering with  their  book  or  magazine  rights.  In  fact, 
the  greatest  advertising  a  novel  could  receive  would  be 
a  preliminary  exhibition  all  over  the  world  in  pictures. 

Many  of  the  best  modern  authors  have  already  gone 
into  this  field,  and  many  more  will,  for  the  day  has  ar- 
rived when,  in  addition  to  reproducing  well-known 
plays  and  successful  books,  there  is  a  need  for  big  orig- 
inal features,  specially  written  for  pictorial  presenta- 
tion. 

The  motion  picture  has  narrowed  the  field  of  the 
playwright,  but  there  is  another  and  broader  pasture 
awaiting  both  the  play  and  fiction  writer  when  he  has 
mastered  the  technique  of  the  "Life  Portrayal." 

It  is  the  writer's  belief  that  a  gripping,  compelling 
story,  hitherto  unknown  and  unpublished,  properly 
picturized,  and  bearing  the  name  of  one  of  the  best- 
known  writers  of  modern  fiction,  would  be  a  greater 
success  artistically  and  financially  than  a  revived  pop- 

xxvii 


SntroDuctor?) 


ular  play  or  "Best  Seller."    The  words,  "properly  pic- 
turized,"  emphasized  above,  are  significant. 

The  motion-picture  manufacturer  stands  to  the  au- 
thor in  the  position  of  publisher — he  needs  you — you 
need  him.  There  are  good  and  bad  publishers — you, 
whose  name  is  an  asset,  would  not  deal  with  a  pub- 
lisher of  questionable  methods — ergo — when  seeking 
out  a  market  for  your  work,  deal  with  none  but  the 
highest  class  and  best  and  oldest  established  motion- 
picture  concerns. 


MOVING   PICTURES   AND    A    SANE    SCHOOL 
CURRICULUM 

By  J.  Berg  Esenwein,  A.M.,  Ph.D. 

Editor  of  Lippincott's  Magazine;  Author  of  "Writing 
the  Photoplay." 

Five  years  ago,  I  printed  a  plea  for  a  complete  mov- 
ing-picture equipment  in  every  large  school  house.  To- 
day the  necessity  is  even  more  obvious.  The  men  and 
women  out  in  the  doing,  and  not  merely  the  theoriz- 
ing, world  know  that  our  schools  are  crowding  the 
pupils  unduly  and  that  some  drastic  change  is  needed 
if  our  children  are  to  be  properly  educated  and  yet  not 
have  their  nervous  systems  shattered  by  the  strain. 
Old  John  Bunyan  solved  the  problem  centuries  ago 
when  he  placed  Eye  Gate  side  by  side  with  Ear  Gate 
as  avenues  to  the  mind — we  must  teach  less  by  books 
and  use  the  moving  picture  for  educational  purposes 
more  and  more. 

True,  educational  films  are  not  wanting,  at  least  to 
some  extent.  But  the  next  great  step  forward  will  be 

xxviii 


Sntrotwctorp 


this :  Some  live  producing  concern  will  gather  a  corps 
of  experts  to  prepare  several  series  of  films,  suited  to 
the  various  grades,  teaching  the  subject  of  geography 
from  start  to  finish.  Next,  they  will  provide  a  series 
of  printed  lectures,  clear  and  fascinatingly  simple,  to  / 
to  be  read  by  the  teacher  while  the  films  are  showing,  f 
day  by  day.  Finally,  clear  and  brief  text-books  or  syl- 
labi will  be  prepared  for  the  pupils,  so  that  they  may 
have  before  them  the  gist  of  the  statements  which  they 
have  heard  in  the  lectures  and  seen  attractively  and 
truthfully  illustrated  on  the  screen. 

The  same  methods  must  be  applied  to  history,  with 
great  pageants  prepared  by  adequate  companies  to  pre- 
sent notable  scenes,  epochs,  customs,  and  the  manner 
of  life  of  our  own  and  other  lands  in  times  more  or 
less  remote. 

Science,  too,  in  all  its  phases,  must  use  this  adjunct, 
for  it  is  possible  by  this  new  miracle  of  truth-record- 
ing to  take  the  child  by  the  hand  and  show  him  nature 
as  it  is,  as  it  moves,  as  it  changes — yes,  even  as  it  pro- 
ceeds in  its  periods  of  creation,  growth,  and  decay. 
Other  subjects,  too,  will  follow  in  order. 

All  these  things  have  already  been  done  in  embryo, 
but  they  must  now  be  systematized  and  welded  into  a 
workable  educational  system,  so  that  just  as  the  edu- 
cational publishing  houses  come  to  the  school  board 
and  the  teacher  with  ready-made  text-books  and  meth- 
ods of  teaching  helpfully  outlined,  so  must  the  moving- 
picture  producer  build  up  the  new  educational  system 
by  preparing  not  alone  the  pictures  but  the  accompany- 
ing lectures,  lessons,  text-books,  and  syllabi  to  make 
the  pictures  a  necessity  in  every  school  room. 

One  final  word  of  prophecy:  When  this  is  accom- 
plished, geography  and  history  and  the  laboratory  sci- 

xxix 


SntroDuctorp 


ences  will  be  taught  not  only  more  effectively,  because 
more  interestingly,  but  in  one-half  the  time  now  re- 
quired; and  then  our  children  will  have  time  to  learn 
how  to  spell  and  cipher  and  read  intelligently,  and  yet 
play  as  much  as  healthy  children  should. 


The  tendency  and  influence  to-day  in  the  cinemato- 
graphic realm  is  undeniably  for  better  things. 

The  truly  lamentable  late  date  of  its  arrival  is  also 
undeniably  due  to  the  shortsightedness  of  the  very  men 
(this  without  reflection  upon  those  who  have  given 
their  best  efforts  in  the  past)  who  to-day  are  scram- 
bling pell-mell  over  each  other,  to  embark  in  the  very 
enterprise  they  so  lustily  berated  in  the  not  far  distant 
past.  Their  glasses  were  steamed  and  their  visions 
dimmed  by  breath  wasted  in  condemning  and  belittling 
the  new  science  of  entertainment  and  instruction. 

Men  who  knew  nothing  of  theatricals,  but  who  per- 
haps only  recognized  quick  and  ready  money  jumped 
!  in,  and  the  stock  phrase,  "The  worst  season  in  years," 
came  stalking  in  grim  reality  down  the  Rialto,  up  the 
stairs  into  the  various  agencies,  and  continued  its 
march  until  it  entered  the  portals  of  the  Holy-of-Holies 
of  showdom.  And  not  until  the  big  interests  were 
handed  —  in  the  language  of  the  vernacular  —  a  nicely 
placed  kick  in  the  bank  roll,  did  they  wake  up. 

Then,  with  one  hand  on  the  seat  of  the  pain,  they 
announced,  while  wildly  waving  the  other,  that  they 
were  about  to  enter  the  "game."  It  looked  easy  :  Ac- 
quire a  camera;  get  some  "people"  together;  adapt 
some  of  the  threadbare  success  of  the  dim  and  distant 
past;  and  the  other  fellow  would  be  wiped  out. 

XXX 


§2  1 

9,     ^ 

g   I 
g  I 


UntroDiictorp 


But  the  "other  fellow"  had,  during  their  long  spell 
of  sleeping  sickness,  been  obliged  to  acquire  something 
of  a  knowledge  of  showmanship;  so  that  it  was  only 
after  the  expenditure  of  thousands  upon  thousands  of 
dollars,  and  the  discarding  of  old  manners  and  means 
that  finally  the  very  men  that  should  have  been  the 
first  to  recognize  the  new  force  were  able  to  make  for 
the  commendable  advance  that  is  now  so  evident. 

To  a  great  extent,  the  splendid  advancement  shown 
by  the  various  picture  interests  during  the  past  year 
is  largely  due  to  the  entrance  of  the  gentlemen  who 
were  so  late  in  arriving,  but,  having  arrived,  proceeded 
to  make  it  known  in  their  truly  characteristic  way.  It 
it  well  they  are  here,  for  it  means  that  each  and  all 
must  bend  their  utmost  energies  to  the  production  of 
subjects  and  spectacles  that  will,  in  a  measure,  over- 
shadow the  efforts  of  the  past. 

But  of  one  thing  all  must  be  certain;  great  distinc- 
tion must  be  made  in  the  method  of  exhibiting  the  va- 
rious subjects,  for  clap-trap  and  art  will  no  more  mix 
in  moving  pictures  than  upon  the  strictly  legitimate 
stage.  Striking  examples  of  what  is  meant  are  to  be 
found  in  those  beautiful  uplifting  subjects,  "From  the 
Manger  to  the  Cross,"  and  "The  Miracle."  The  exact 
methods  that  had  tremendously  enriched  the  coffers  of 
the  various  manufacturers  of  the  country,  when  applied 
to  other  productions,  sounded  the  death-knell  for  these. 

One  firm,  gentlemen  of  high  ideals,  are,  I  know, 
heartsick  over  the  manner  in  which  one  of  their  sub- 
jects, they  so  generously  financed,  was  released  for  ex- 
hibition. Not  from  a  monetary  standpoint,  but  from 
the  fact  that  their  admirable  effort  to  give  something 


SntroDtmorp 


of  sterling  merit,  was  so  foully  butchered  in  the  hands 
of  those  apparently  utterly  devoid  of  discerning  the 
difference  of  placing  a  biblical  subject  as  against  a 
"Give-me-the-papers"  melodrama. 

The  subject  in  question  involved  the  traveling  of 
thousands  of  miles  by  a  large  company  of  artists,  much 
laborious  research,  and  a  continuous  movement 
through  an  arid  inhospitable  country,  to  the  exact,  or 
legendary  spots  in  which  the  events  in  the  life  of  the 
Savior,  as  we  know  them,  were  enacted. 

Be  it  understood  that  in  Great  Britain,  so  well  were 
the  requirements  for  managing  this  masterpiece  in  a 
reverential  and  dignified  way  understood,  that  not  only 
did  the  press  and  pulpit  take  it  up  and  almost  unani- 
mously advise  their  hearers  to  see  it,  but  it  was,  and  is 
now,  a  common  occurrence  for  a  minister  of  the  gos- 
pel to  ask,  or  to  be  asked,  to  open  the  exhibition  with 
prayer.  And  yet  this  work,  a  year  or  more  after  re- 
lease date,  has  yet  to  be  seen  upon  the  screen  in  many 
of  the  larger  cities  of  the  United  States. 

If  such  elevating  and  worthy  subjects  as  these,  with 
their  great  adaptation  for  the  betterment  of  all  man- 
kind, cannot  be  successfully  put  before  the  masses  in 
this  country,  then  the  influence  of  the  motion  picture 
is  woefully  hampered  by  a  stagnation  of  ideas  relative 
to  the  handling  of  them. 

But  undoubtedly  there  are  men,  comparatively  new- 
comers, upon  whom  we  may  depend  to  show  the  keen, 
and  judicious  foresight  requisite  in  placing  before  the 
public  in  a  masterly  manner  the  various  productions, 
in  a  way  peculiar  to  their  needs. 

Those  who  have  their  ears  to  the  ground  know  full 
xxxii 


ON  THE  GREAT  LYBIAN  DESERT,  UPPER  EGYPT 


TAKEN  NEAR  LUXOR,  UPPER  EGYPT 

Produced  by  Sidney  Olcott  in  Egypt 


SntroDuctorp 


well  that  the  cry  is  for  better  things,  and  that  the  in- 
fluence of  the  motion  picture  is  a  wonderful  and  ab- 
sorbing thing,  unlimited,  and,  as  yet,  unharnessed. 

SIDNEY  OLCOTT. 


THE  PAST,  PRESENT  AND  FUTURE  OF  THE 
FEATURE  FILM 

By  Alexander  Lichtman 

When  I  look  back  upon  the  birth  of  the  feature  mo- 
tion picture,  I  am  impressed  by  two  fascinating  facts: 
First,  its  humble  inception,  and,  secondly,  its  phenome- 
nal evolution — for  growth  is  too  inferior  a  word.  It 
was  both  my  fortune  and  sorrow  to  be  connected  with 
the  exploitation  of  the  first  pretentious  feature  film 
ever  exhibited  in  America — "Dante's  Inferno."  At  that 
time,  a  feature  was  an  extraordinary  thing — feared  by 
most  exhibitors  with  almost  a  superstitious  dread,  and 
ridiculed  by  others  as  an  impossible  film  freak.  The 
picture  went  out,  and  if  it  did  not  do  much  more,  it 
convinced  the  trade  that  a  great  and  unexplored  field 
lay  waiting  for  the  more  enterprising  and  alert  manu- 
facturers, some  of  whom  there  were  even  in  those 
benighted  days. 

From  those  days  to  the  conception  and  inauguration 
of  the  Famous  Players  Film  Co.,  of  which  I  became 
Sales  Manager,  dates  the  entire  history  of  the  fea- 
ture film.  That  concern  not  only  systematically  organ- 
ized the  feature-film  market  of  America,  but  created 
two  innovations  simultaneously — the  release  of  a  regu- 
lar program  of  features,  and  the  presentation  of  famous 
plays  and  celebrated  stars  in  motion  pictures.  I  cov- 

xxxiii 


Suttoouaorg 


ered  the  country  with  our  dual  asset;  exhibitors  were 
slow  to  see  its  advantages,  exchange  men  were  skepti- 
cal and  cautious ;  but  to-day  the  feature  film  represents 
two-thirds  of  the  total  activities  of  the  film  industry. 

There  is  some  talk  extant  as  to  the  possible  early 
demise  of  the  feature  film;  there  is  no  more  logic  in 
this  theory  than  *^re  was  in  the  equally  general  state- 
ment some  time  ago  that  the  motion  picture  is  already 
an  eternal  institution,  part  of  life ;  and  the  feature  will 
always  remain  an  integral  and  important  factor  in  the 
production  and  exhibition  of  motion  pictures. 

However,  in  the  future  the  feature  film  will  not  be 
exploited  in  the  haphazard  manner  that  has  marked  its 
past  development.  Its  future  will  depend  more  upon 
sound  business  principles  than  brilliant  theories.  It 
will  be  booked  in  ways  similar  in  method  to  vaudeville 
and  theatrical  customs. 


xxxiv 


THE  THEATRE  OF  SCIENCE 


The  Theatre  of  Science 

CHAPTER    I 

Probably  the  crude  pioneer  production  of  motion 
photography  with  optical  illusion  was  the  childhood 
picture  device  of  half  a  century  ago,  called  "Zoetrope," 
or  "Wheel  of  Life."  In  1876  "Praxinoscope,"  an  in- 
vention of  the  Frenchman  Reynard,  was  really  based 
upon  the  "Zoetrope"  apparatus,  but  a  cloth  screen  was 
used  on  the  stage  and  a  limelight  lantern  was  a  part  of 
the  equipment.  Both  of  these  primitive  productions 
are  entitled  to  be  recorded  here  because  of  their  in- 
fluence with  later  inventors,  each  of  whom  it  seems 
added  something  new  and  constructive  up  to  the  time 
when  the  Lumiere  Cinematograph  came  forth  at 
Keith's  Union  Square  Theatre,  in  July,  1896,  when  the 
real  history  of  moving  pictures  began  to  write  itself. 

Eadward  Muybridge  in  1871-72,  at  the  suggestion  of 
Governor  Leland  Stanford,  made  countless  negatives 
of  the  famous  trotter,  "Occident,"  on  the  governor's 
race  track  in  Oakland,  Cal.  "Occident"  was  the  pride 
of  the  governor's  heart,  and  he  had  Muybridge  photo- 
graph the  mare  in  every  conceivable  form.  The  story 
is  that  Muybridge  placed  2  cameras  along  the  track 


Cfte    C&eatre 


£^^A  in.  a  row  to  prove  that  a  horse  has  always  one 

^^  on  the  ground  when  trotting  very-iast.  To  demon- 
strate this  Muybridge  took  a  series  of  snapshots.  The 
threads  stretching  across  the  track  were  broken  by 
the  mare  as  she  went  past  them,  each  thread  releas- 
ing the  spring  of  a  camera,  thus  making  countless  neg- 
atives which  when  riffled  with  the  thumb  revealed  the 
horse  practically  in  motion. 

It  appears  to  be  an  accepted  fact  that  Muybridge's 
achievement  was  the  basis  for  the  inventions  that  first 
produced  motion  pictures ;  in  fact,  the  Oakland  experi- 
ment was  widely  heralded  and  attracted  the  attention 
of  the  great  animal  painter,  Meissonier,  who  saw  the 
Muybridge  photographs  through  the  courtesy  of  Gov- 
ernor Stanford,  who  was  then  in  Paris  on  a  visit.  These 
photographs  were  first  inspected  individually,  then  by 
means  of  a  spooler  wheel  (practically  an  adaptation  of 
the  "Zoetrope"),  were  whirled  into  motion,  practically 
becoming  a  moving  picture. 

t  All  the  photograph  experts  of  the  world  were  soon 
"on"  to  the  possibilities.  In  England  Acres,  Greene, 
Paul,  Evans,  etc.  In  France,  Lumiere  Freres,  Dr.  E. 
J.  Marey  and  others  "got  busy." 

Dr.  Marey  in  1882  invented  what  he  called  a  "pho- 
tographic gun,"  and  with  it  studied  the  flight  of  birds. 
In  England  in  1885  W.  E.  Greene  had  a  public  display 
of  figures  in  motion,  photographically,  and  so  great  was 
the  crowd  in  front  of  the  windows  of  his  Piccadilly 
store  that  the  police  forced  Greene  to  take  the  novel 
exhibit  out  of  the  windows. 

Dr.  Marey's  camera  was  unquestionably  the  lead  to 
the  latter-day  cameras.  Sebert,  Soret  (of  Geneva),  and 
Anschiitz  (of  Berlin)  improved  upon  it.  Anschutz's 
improvement  was  called  "the  Tachyscope,"  and  it  was 


of    Science 


exhibited  in  London  on  the  Strand  near  Chancery  Lane 
for  a  short  period,  but  to  no  profit. 

In  all  these_efforts  to  perfect  motion  photography, 
the  inventors  were  baffled  by  the  necessary  use  of 
glass  plates.  Gelatine  was  tried,  then  grease-proof 
paper,  and  a  gelatine  emulsion.  Reverend  Dr.  Hanni- 
bal Goodwin  (whose  part  in  the  evolution  of  moving 
pictures  is  the  subject  of  another  chapter)  came  upon 
the  scene  in  1887;  but  before  that  George  Eastman  in 
1885,  aided  and  abetted  by  his  colleague,  Walker, 
evolved  a  flexible  film  that  several  years  later  was 
utilized  by  Thomas  A.  Edison  for  his  primitive  "Kinet- 
oscope." 

The  Kinetoscope  got  into  its  first  stride  about  1893 
(World's  Fair  year).  It  was,  of  course,  a  penny-in- 
the-slot  machine  (though  a  nickel  was  charged  in  Chi- 
cago, where  the  writer  first  had  a  "peep").  One  saw 
the  moving  photographs  quite  crudely,  yet  it  is  not 
likely  that  the  Wizard  of  Menlo  Park  was  much  im- 
pressed at  that  time  with  the  possibilities  of  the  in- 
vention which,  it  must  be  recorded,  was  the  first  actual 
demonstration  of  motion  photography  for  profit  in 
America. 

For  one  thing,  the  subjects  depicted  in  the  slot  ma- 
chines were  often  suggestive,  and  if  there  is  one  Edison 
policy  more  insistent  than  another  it  is  a  demand  for 
clean  subjects;  hence  it  is  thought  now  that  Edison 
did  not  in  1893  foresee  the  vogue  of  moving  pictures; 
in  fact,  he  told  the  writer  as  recently  as  four  years  ago 
that  the  reason  he  did  not  take  out  a  patent  for  Great 
Britain  was  because  he  had  no  idea  that  the  pictures 
would  become  a  craze  at  the  time  the  Kinetoscope  was 
first  revealed. 

The   Kinetoscope,  while  attracting  worldwide  pro- 


Cfje    Cfteatte 


fessional  interest,  made  no  important  impression  on 
the  larger  public;  its  use  was  confined  to  the  penny 
arcades,  but  for  these  it  was  indeed  a  profitable  mag- 
net. Moreover,  not  a  few  of  the  present-day  million- 
aires in  the  amusement  world,  such  as  Marcus  Loew, 
were  first  drawn  into  the  moving-picture  field  which 
has  so  enriched  them  by  the  financial  results  attending 
the  exploitation  of  the  primitive  Edison  device  in  penny 
arcades. 

Many  foreign  inventors  were  in  Chicago,  exhibiting 
their  wares  during  the  fair.  Among  these  were  two 
Greeks,  who  told  Robert  W.  Paul  about  the  Kineto- 
scope,  that  they  had  purchased  a  machine  and  intended 
to  use  it  in  a  penny  arcade.  Paul  was  in  London  when 
they  reported  to  him  that  he  (Paul)  should  investi- 
gate its  possibilities  for  improvement.  Paul  found  that 
he  could  duplicate  the  Kinetoscope  without  patent  in- 
terference, and  this  he  quickly  proceeded  to  do;  but 
the  public  failed  to  respond. 

It  is  now  a  question  of  close  figuring  as  to  who  was 
first  in  the  field  with  real  moving  pictures  exhibited  in 
auditoriums  in  the  manner  that  has  since  revolution- 
ized public  entertainment.  Mr.  Talbot,  in  his  volume, 
"How  Moving  Pictures  Are  Made,"  of  which  I  read 
reviews  in  the  trade  press,  claims  that  in  the  early 
months  of  1895,  Paul  and  his  fellow  mechanics  ran  a 
real  moving-picture  film  40  feet  long  and  produced  a 
picture  seven  feet  square.  Newspaper  records  show 
that  in  February,  1896,  Paul's  apparatus  (then  called 
the  Theatrograph,  and  later  the  Animatograph)  was 
first  publicly  demonstrated  at  Finsbury,  England,  at 
the  Technical  College. 

On  February  28,  1896,  it  was  again  shown  in  the  li- 
brary of  the  Royal  Institution.  The  film  shown  in- 


of    Science 


eluded  "A  Rough  Sea  at  Dover,"  and  "A  Shoe  Black 
at  Work  in  a  London  Street."  The  late  Sir  Augustus 
Harris  (one  of  the  greatest  showmen  of  the  nineteenth 
century)  heard  of  Paul's  success  and  at  once  booked 
his  exhibition  for  the  London  Olympia,  where  it 
opened  on  March  25,  1896. 

Meanwhile,  Edison,  of  Orange,  N.  J.,  and  the  Lumi- 
eres,  of  Paris,  were  not  idle.  As  recorded  in  previous 
volumes,  the  Latham  Eidoloscope  and  the  Edison  Vita- 
scope,  two  faulty — yet  vastly  superior  to  the  Kineto- 
scope — devices,  were  first  exhibited  at  Keith's  Phila- 
delphia Vaudeville  Theatre  under  the  management  of 
Phillip  F.  Nash,  now  an  officer  of  the  United  Booking 
Offices.  Although  the  Edison  films  attracted  the  pub- 
lic fairly  well  in  Philadelphia,  there  was  little  demand 
for  either  machine,  and  in  the  same  year  (theatrical 
season  of  1895-96)  the  writer  saw  at  Koster  &  Bial's,  in 
New  York  (present  site  of  Macy's  stores)  a  still  fur- 
ther development  of  the  Edison  device,  again  called 
"The  Vitascope." 

The  pictures  as  shown  on  the  screen  were  of  about 
one  minute's  duration;  bulky,  proportionless,  and  so 
imperfect  photographically  that  wholly  apart  from  the 
almost  intolerable  flickers  there  was  considerable  re- 
sentment expressed  in  the  press,  and  it  was  here  that 
"the  chaser"  became  a  byword  with  vaudeville  people 
as  meaning  that  the  films  were  calculated  to  drive  the 
audience  out  of  the  theatre  when  an  exodus  was  de- 
sirable. 

While  Paul  was  developing  his  many-titled  appara- 
tus, the  Lumieres  coincidentally,  it  is  claimed,  were 
laboring  along  the  same  lines.  It  is  hard  to  say 
whether  the  French  firm  and  the  Englishman  were 
being  "tipped  off"  to  each  other's  activities.  When  Sir 


C&c   Cfreatre 


Augustus  Harris  was  negotiating  with  Paul,  he  told 
Paul  that  he  had  heard  of  a  similar  machine  in  Paris. 
Paul  expressed  profound  surprise. 

The  Lumieres'  invention  was  called  the  Cinemato- 
graph, and  the  exhibition  resulting  from  the  outset  of 
its  advent  as  an  amusement  attraction  was  hailed  ev- 
erywhere as  a  genuine  sensation.  It  was  simpler,  more 
accurate,  and  immeasurably  more  scientific  than  Paul's 
Animatograph.  The  latter  had  easily  scored  a  popular 
success,  both  at  the  Olympia  and  the  Alhambra  in  Lon- 
don before  the  Lumieres'  Cinematograph  was  revealed 
to  an  astonished  London  audience  at  the  Regent  Street 
Polytechnic  under  the  direction  of  Herr  Trewey,  in 
April,  1896. 

Trewey  will  be  recalled  by  many  readers  of  this  vol- 
ume as  a  famous  impersonator  and  shadowgrapher, 
who  even  in  the  late  80's  was  accorded  as  high  as  $700 
a  week  in  the  variety  theatres  of  this  country.  It  was 
Trewey's  photographic  instinct  that  drew  him  to  inves- 
tigate the  merits  of  the  existing  apparatus,  and  he  cast 
his  fortunes  with  the  Lumiere  invention  unhesitating- 
ly, securing  the  English  concession. 

The  Lumiere  machine,  as  far  as  I  am  able  to  discover 
through  diligent  inquiry  while  abroad,  was  utilized  for 
exhibitions  in  Paris  stores  (where  auditoriums  seating 
about  200  persons  were  constructed)  several  months 
before  Paul  gave  his  first  London  exhibit.  I  do  not 
know  how  Thomas  A.  Edison  felt  when  the  cables  her- 
alded the  commercial  success  that  the  foreigners  had 
made  with  the  Wizard's  practically  discarded  Kineto- 
scope  as  the  basis  for  their  achievements,  but  undoubt- 
edly he  was  now  aware  of  the  importance  of  his  own 
invention,  for  it  was  after  the  London  news  of  Paul 
and  Lumiere's  triumph  that  the  Vitascope  was  intro- 


cience 


duced,  as  previously  stated,  in  Philadelphia  and  New 
York. 

News  of  the  photographic  excellence  of  the  Cinemat- 
ograph was  first  fully  made  known  to  American  show- 
men through  that  always  authoritative  publication,  the 
"London  Era."  A  studious  reader  of  this  weekly  the- 
atrical paper  was  J.  Austin  Fynes,  a  man  who  did  for 
vaudeville  more  than  he  has  ever  been  credited  with 
and  to  whom  I  honestly  believe  is  due  the  greater  cred- 
it for  what  his  influence  was  in  introducing  moving 
pictures  to  the  New  York  public  with  fine  discernment, 
rare  showmanship,  and  a  complete  grasp  of  what  the 
attraction  really  signified. 

The  many  now  wealthy  magnates  of  the  film  indus- 
try probably  have  never  given  men  like  J.  Austin 
Fynes,  his  brother  "Jack"  (peace  to  his  ashes!),  and 
John  J.  Murdock,  a  second  thought  when  as  a  result 
of  their  pioneer  efforts  in  different  stages  of  the  de- 
velopment the  trail  was  blazed  for  those  who  could  see 
the  road  to  fame  and  fortune. 

When  Fynes  read  the  eulogistic  report  in  the  "Era" 
based  upon  the  triumph  of  the  Cinematograph  in  Lon- 
don, he  was  intensely  interested.  Fynes  was  then  the 
manager  of  the  Union  Square  Theatre.  He  had  seen 
the  primitive  exhibits  in  the  Keith  Theatre  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  believed  that  in  the  Cinematograph  a  tre- 
mendous permanent  attraction  might  be  obtainable  for 
the  Keith  houses. 

In  the  light  of  after  years'  development,  and  the  vast 
influence  of  the  Cinematograph  in  the  amusement  field 
in  America,  it  is  of  importance  to  state  here  that  Fynes 
bethought  himself  to  dispatch  a  lengthy  cablegram  to 
Lumiere  Freres  at  their  Lyons  factory,  and  it  so 
happened  that  the  late  B.  F.  Keith  was  on  the  eve  of 


8  C6e   C&eatre 

sailing  for  a  long  pleasure  tour  abroad,  and  as  he  board- 
ed the  steamer  he  was  handed  by  a  messenger  in  Keith 
uniform  a  letter  from  Fynes,  in  which  the  facts  relat- 
ing to  both  Paul's  and  Lumiere's  machines  were  set 
forth,  with  the  suggestion  that  the  French  invention 
appeared  to  be  the  best  and  could  probably  be  seen 
personally  by  Keith  on  his  arrival  in  Paris. 

Keith  did  see  not  only  the  Lumiere  machine  and  its 
producing  capacity,  but  he  went  to  London  to  see 
Paul's  also.  Keith  discovered  that  the  Lumieres  had 
already  sold  the  American  rights  to  W.  B.  Hurd,  and 
that  the  latter  had  just  sailed  from  Liverpool  for  New 
York  to  arrange  for  the  exploitation  of  the  novel  at- 
traction. Incidentally,  it  is  of  interest  to  state  that 
while  Keith  was  interviewing  the  Lumieres  and  Paul, 
Harry  Brunelle,  then  as  now  F.  F.  Proctor's  booking 
agent,  was  on  the  ground  in  Europe;  but  the  story  is 
that  Brunelle  got  a  wrong  "tip"  which  took  him  to 
Berlin. 

Keith  cabled  to  Fynes  that  Hurd  was  on  the  ocean, 
and  Fynes  met  the  steamer.  The  well-known  se- 
crecy with  which  the  Keith  business  procedure  is  con- 
ducted was  never  so  effectively  enforced  as  in  this  in- 
stance, the  result  being  that  after  a  demonstration  by 
Hurd,  Fynes  signed  a  contract  by  which  a  weekly  pay- 
ment of  $350  was  granted  to  Hurd  for  each  theatre  in 
which  the  Cinematograph  was  exhibited.  This  was,  in 
fact,  the  inauguration  of  the  moving  pictures  as  a  the- 
atrical attraction  of  importance,  taking  place  in  July, 
1896. 

At  this  time  the  writer  had  just  returned  from  Eu- 
rope, where  he  had  been  exploiting  Loie  Fuller,  the 
dancer,  and  it  was  my  wont  to  visit  Fynes  almost  daily, 
also  attending  the  performances  at  the  Union  Square 


f    ©  1 1  e  n  c  e 


as  frequently  as  twice  a  week;  hence  I  am  enabled  to 
state  authoritatively  the  comparative  effect  of  the  Cine- 
matograph on  the  Keith  patronage,  which  up  to  this 
time  was  only  fair — a  weekly  gross  of  $3,500  constitut- 
ing the  average  at  the  box  office. 

But  as  a  result  of  what  was  the  best  conducted  ad- 
vertising campaign  I  had  ever  observed,  the  Cinemato- 
graph opened  to  capacity,  selling  out  three  times  the 
first  day.  Fynes  was  in  sole  charge  of  the  campaign, 
and  the  money  he  spent  for  newspaper  advertising  and 
the  Patti-Bernhardt  manner  in  which  he  heralded  the 
new  attraction  attracted  the  attention  of  showmen  all 
over  the  country.  The  general  impression  at  the  time 
was  that  Fynes'  advance  confidence  in  the  Cinemato- 
graph and  the  high-grade  exploitation  of  it  for  months 
afterward  entitled  him  to  almost  as  much  credit  as  was 
naturally  given  to  the  Lumieres  alone. 

In  a  rapid  space  of  time  the  Cinematograph  was 
placed  in  nearly  all  of  the  vaudeville  theatres  of  this 
country.  The  happy  possessor  of  the  American  rights, 
W.  B.  Kurd,  had  acquired  quickly  a  small  fortune ;  but 
he  was  not  a  showman,  and  eventually  he  lost  the  con- 
fidence of  the  Lumieres. 

Things  began  to  happen  now,  though  even  in  the 
face  of  the  Union  Square  Theatre  increasing  its  weekly 
gross  receipts  from  $3,500  to  $7,000  a  week,  no  real 
craze  developed.  The  photography  was  excellent,  but 
the  films  were  not  extremely  interesting,  usually  mili- 
tary evolutions  and  "the  chase."  Yet  I  can  say  that 
the  effect  of  moving  pictures  then  on  the  public  was 
truly  remarkable.  Would  that  the  illusions  achieved 
eighteen  years  ago  were  yet  the  same!  The  truth  is 
that  many  persons  believed  that  if  they  would  go  back 
on  the  stage  they  would  see  those  depicted  on  the 


Cfte    Ci)eatte 


screen  (in  the  flesh).  Perhaps  even  to-day  this  view  is 
not  wholly  eliminated,  but  the  ill-advised  release  of 
films  "showing  how  moving  pictures  are  made,"  as 
described  elsewhere  in  the  volume,  is  calculated  to  de- 
stroy more  than  one  cherished  illusion  of  the  moving- 
picture  patron. 

Shortly  after  the  Union  Square  Theatre  success, 
Rich  G.  Hollaman,  of  the  Eden  Musee,  a  man  whose 
name  will  be  written  high  in  film  history,  came  upon 
the  scene,  establishing  in  the  Musee  Auditorium  a  the- 
atre where  hourly  exhibitions  of  moving  pictures  were 
offered.  This  was  seventeen  years  ago;  yet  save  on 
Sundays  there  has  not  been  a  day  in  all  these  years  that 
this  policy  has  been  deviated  from.  Hollaman  called 
his  machine  the  Cinematograph,  though  it  was  not  the 
Lumiere  device  which  was  used  there  all  these  years. 

To  this  day  the  Eden  Musee  continues  to  exploit  the 
Cinematograph,  though  the  idea  is  that  this  is  the 
American  machine  of  that  name.  But  the  truth  is  that 
Hollaman  had  in  his  employ  practically  from  the  out- 
set Edwin  S.  Porter  and  Francis  B.  Cannock,  the  two 
greatest  American  operators  of  that  day,  and  perhaps 
of  to-day  also;  though  both  have  become  famous  and 
potent  in  the  industry,  as  related  in  another  chapter. 

Porter  and  Cannock,  in  association  with  Hollaman, 
in  1910-11  introduced  the  Simplex  machine,  and  all 
three  have  made  a  great  success  of  the  enterprise. 

As  for  the  Eden  Musee,  it  is  held  to-day  among  the 
higher  grade  film  interests  as  about  the  very  last  word 
in  the  presentation  of  moving  pictures,  and  Richard 
Hollaman's  influence  otherwise  has  been  wholly  up- 
lifting, he  being  invariably  the  first  to  undertake  ex- 
periments with  educational  films  and  persistently  giv- 
ing his  time  and  contributing  financially  to  altruistic 


EDWIN  S.  PORTER 
Technical  Director  Famous  Players  Film  Co. 

One  of  the  Great  Geniuses  of  an  All-compelling  New  Art 


of    Science 


and  public-spirited  enterprises  wherein  co-operation  of 
the  money-mad  interests  of  the  industry  was  entirely 
lacking. 

The  Cinematograph  (Lumiere's)  remained  at  Keith's 
theatres  for  a  prolonged  run,  during  which  period  the 
Edison  Company  came  forth  with  a  vastly  improved 
machine  (the  Vitascope  being  absolutely  unrecogniz- 
able in  the  newer  production)  .  Oddly  enough,  the  new 
Edison  apparatus  was  called  the  Kinetoscope,  the  name 
given  to  the  slot-machine  device. 

It  was  about  the  same  time  that  the  new  Kineto- 
scope was  placed  on  the  market  that  the  American 
Biograph  was  brought  to  Keith's  to  succeed  the  Cine- 
matograph. The  Biograph  was  the  invention  of  Her- 
mann Casler,  of  Canastota,  N.  Y.  Associated  with  Cas- 
ler  was  Henry  N.  Marvin,  now  one  of  the  big  factors 
in  the  industry,  and  the  first  film  magnate  to  become 
a  box  holder  in  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House. 

The  Biograph  created  a  perfect  furore.  To  this  day, 
save  for  the  newly  discovered  advances  which  the  cam- 
era man  has  gradually  fallen  heir  to,  no  better  projec- 
tion than  that  accomplished  with  the  Casler  machine 
sixteen  years  ago  has  been  witnessed.  Immediately  the 
Biograph  became  the  most  compelling  attraction  avail- 
able to  showmen.  Yet  the  price  charged  for  the  serv- 
ice kept  dwindling  until  $50  to  $75  a  week  was  gladly 
accepted. 

It  was  discovered,  too,  that  the  Biograph  as  origi- 
nally conceived  was  not  adaptable  to  "commercial" 
work,  and  the  mechanism  and  the  productions  were 
greatly  altered  for  a  readier  service. 

And  now  came  a  lull  for  more  than  three  years.  In 
the  vaudeville  theatres  the  moving  pictures  lost  their 
vogue.  It  is  only  a  truth  to  state  that  they  were  used 


12  C&e    Cfjeatre 

as  "the  chaser,"  between  1898  and  1900,  and  it  was 
quite  common  for  the  films  to  be  placed  on  the  pro- 
gram unexpectedly  when  the  crowds  awaiting  an  en- 
trance were  overwhelming.  The  very  sight  of  the  now 
magic  sheet  was  the  signal  for  an  exodus. 

In  many  theatres  the  pictures  were  put  on  last  on 
the  bill.  The  effect  of  this  policy  was  to  be  observed 
in  the  Corporal's  Guard  remaining  for  their  exhibition. 
The  vaudeville  managers  in  those  days  were  more  re- 
luctant than  now  to  "can"  (cancel)  performers.  In- 
stead, the  punishment  meted  out  to  them  was  to  be 
placed  on  the  bill  "after  the  pictures,"  a  degrading  dis- 
tinction which  served  to  humiliate  and  cheapen  the  un- 
fortunate ones — in  fact,  to  be  relegated  to  "follow  the 
pictures"  was  regarded  as  even  more  injurious  to  the 
artists  than  to  be  programmed  for  the  "Supper  Show," 
a  relic  of  the  days  of  the  continuous  performance,  now 
practically  extinct. 

In  the  early  days  of  photography,  of  which  moving 
pictures  are  only  a  branch,  some  abortive  attempts 
were  made  to  produce  animated  pictures  on  glass 
plates.  It  was  therefore  recognized  at  the  start  that 
success  was  to  be  achieved  only  with  a  thin,  reliable, 
transparent,  continuous  strip,  which  would  carry  the 
photographic  image,  both  negative  and  positive — in 
other  words,  a  flexible,  endless  belt  substitute  for  glass. 
Manufacturers  worked  very  assiduously  to  obtain  such 
a  photographic  support,  and  photographic  societies  all 
over  the  world  offered  prizes  and  encouragement  to 
stimulate  discovery  and  invention  in  that  line,  but  with- 
out success.  Shaved  celluloid  was  experimented  with, 
but  celluloid,  or  parkesine,  as  it  was  first  called,  would 
not  do.  Skin  formed  by  flowing  regular  photographic 


of    science 13 

collodion  (nitrocellulose  dissolved  in  ether  and  alcohol) 
was  an  utter  failure. 

In  1887  there  appeared  on  the  scene  a  stalwart, 
white-haired,  erect,  unassuming  American  clergyman, 
by  name  Hannibal  Goodwin,  of  the  House  of  Prayer, 
Newark,  N.  J.,  claiming  that  he  had  discovered  the 
much-prized  secret.  He  proved  it  conclusively  to  Mr. 
Washington  Irving  Adams,  of  the  Scovill  &  Adams 
Company,  pioneer  manufacturers  of  photo  supplies,  and 
to  Dr.  Charles  Ehrmann,  head  chemist  of  the  com- 
pany. Dr.  Goodwin's  film  was  not  celluloid,  neither 
was  it  photographic  collodion  skin;  yet  it  was  both, 
plus  something  that  no  one  else  had  ever  been  able  to 
discover.  This  fine  distinction  did  not  help  Dr.  Good- 
win in  the  Patent  Office,  and  he  did  not  improve  his 
chances  very  much  either  by  submitting  samples  of 
his  product  to  different  photographic  manufacturers 
prior  to  his  claims  being  allowed  by  the  Patent  Office. 
The  Goodwin  application  encountered  untold  vicissi- 
tudes in  the  Patent  Office,  not  the  least  of  which  was 
an  interference  proceedings  with  Reichenbach,  the 
chemist  for  the  Eastman  Kodak  Company.  The  Reich- 
enbach-Eastman  application  did  not  reach  the  Patent 
Office  until  long  after  Goodwin  filed  his  claim.  Nev- 
ertheless, he  was  deprived  of  his  patent  for  eleven 
years;  indeed,  to  get  his  patent  issued  at  all,  he  was 
forced  to  appeal  to  the  Examiners-in-Chief,  who  unan- 
imously decided  in  favor  of  the  Goodwin  application. 

The  United  States  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals,  Judges 
Lacombe,  Coxe  and  Ward  sitting,  in  its  opinion  af- 
firming the  decree  of  Judge  Hazel  for  the  District 
Court  of  the  United  States,  made  this  sad  commentary : 
"Truly  an  extraordinary  and  deplorable  condition  of 
affairs!  But  who  was  to  blame  for  it — Goodwin,  or 


Cbe   C&eatre 


the  five  examiners  who  improperly  deprived  him  of 
his  rights  during  these  eleven  years?" 

When  Goodwin  finally  got  his  patent,  he  had  ex- 
hausted his  small  financial  resources,  as  well  as  those 
of  his  friends.  It  was  then  that  the  Ansco  Company, 
through  its  predecessors,  came  to  the  rescue  of  Good- 
win's rights.  The  result  was  the  Ansco-Goodwin  film, 
made  by  the  Goodwin  Film  &  Camera  Company,  and 
marketed  by  the  Ansco  Company.  The  Goodwin  Com- 
pany thereupon  entered  suit  for  infringement  against 
the  Eastman  Kodak  Company  on  December  15,  1902, 
and  it  took  ten  years  and  eight  months  to  take  testi- 
mony and  secure  a  first  decision  in  the  District  Court. 
The  delay  was  not  due  to  the  District  Court,  which  did 
its  duty  by  according  swift  justice  —  as  evidenced  by 
the  decision  of  Judge  Hazel  —  but  to  the  taking  of  testi- 
mony. The  decision  of  Judge  Hazel  in  favor  of  the 
Goodwin  patent  was  shortly  afterward  affirmed  by  the 
United  States  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals. 

The  Eastman  Kodak  Company  has  made  a  settle- 
ment after  these  twenty-six  long  years  of  litigation. 
The  substantial  cash  payment  made  by  the  Eastman 
Kodak  Company  is  in  lieu  of  past  damages,  and  covers 
a  license  permitting  them  to  continue  to  manufacture 
cartridge  films,  pack  films,  and  moving  picture  films 
under  the  Goodwin  patent  and  process.  In  other 
words,  this  settlement  which  raises  the  widow  of  the 
Rev.  Hannibal  Goodwin  —  a  woman  past  eighty-six: 
years  —  from  a  position  of  comparative  poverty  to  one 
of  affluence,  also  permits  the  Eastman  Kodak  Company 
to  manufacture  film  under  the  Goodwin  patent  and 
without  infringing  the  rights  of  eit^r  +V  Goodwm 
Film  &  Camera  Company  or  the  Ansco  Company. 

To  give  an  idea  of  how  impossible  it  is  to  manufac- 


THE  LATE  REVEREND  HANNIBAL  GOODWIN 

Who  after  twenty-six  years  of  litigation,  succeeding  his  demise,  is  accredited  as  the  genius 
who  solved  the  greatest  problem  in  the  evolution  of  moving  pictures 


of    Science 


ture  a  film  that  does  not  infringe  the  Goodwin  patent 
and  process,  I  quote  from  the  decision  of  the  United 
States  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals  : 

"Claim  10  covers  the  film  support  as  a  new  article 
of  manufacture,  and  the  other  claims  cover  the  process 
by  which  the  pellicle  is  produced. 

"An  examination  of  the  first  claim  will  demonstrate 
sufficiently  the  various  steps  of  the  Goodwin  process 
for  making  a  transparent,  flexible,  photographic  film 
pellicle.  These  are: 

"1.  Dissolving  nitrocellulose  in  a  menstruum  con- 
taining a  hygroscopic  and  a  non-hygroscopic  element, 
the  latter  being  of  itself  a  solvent  of  nitrocellulose  and 
of  slower  volatility  than  the  former. 

"2.  Spreading  such  solution  upon  a  supporting  sur- 
face. 

"3.  Allowing  it  to  set,  dry,  and  harden  by  evapora- 
tion. 

"4.  Spreading  a  photographic,  sensitive  solution  on 
the  hardened  film. 

"5.  Drying  the  film." 

It  is  well  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  user,  the  seller, 
as  well  as  the  manufacturer  of  an  infringing  article, 
are  liable  for  damages. 

The  Eastman  film,  in  view  of  the  settlement,  and  the 
cash  payment  made  by  the  Eastman  Kodak  Company 
covering  a  license  under  the  Goodwin  patent,  is  as 
free  of  any  question  of  infringement  of  said  patent  as 
is  the  Ansco  film,  manufactured  by  the  Goodwin  Film 
&  Camera  Co.,  that  has  always  been,  and  is  the  owner 
of  the  Goodwin  patent. 

Here  we  have  the  amazing  spectacle  of  justice  re- 
tarded for  many  years  but  finally  demonstrating  its  re- 
lentless force.  The  Ansco  Film  Company's  part  in  the 


Cfte   Cfieane 


future  of  the  industry  is  indicated  by  announcements 
in  trade  issues  wherein  a  policy  insistently  demanding 
respect  for  its  legal  rights  has  been  proclaimed.  A  few 
days  after  the  settlement  with  the  Eastman  Company  a 
dividend  of  100  per  cent,  on  the  capital  stock,  involving 
nearly  two  million  dollars,  was  declared  by  the  Ansco 
Company. 


Indirectly  due  to  the  activities  of  Archie  L.  Shepard 
and  William  J.  Gane,  who  were  financed  in  their  New 
York  City  operations  by  Felix  Isman,  the  "Nicolet," 
or  five-cent  store  theatre,  came  into  being,  and  this 
was  a  movement  inaugurated  in  1905-06  with  an  im- 
petus so  vigorous  that  to  attempt  to  point  out  the 
pioneers  will  naurally  cause  much  contradiction; 
nevertheless,  the  writer  is  enabled  to  recite  this  all- 
important  phase  of  the  camera  man's  progress  with 
such  accuracy  and  fairness  as  the  complex  character  of 
the  innovation  permits. 

"Big  Bill"  Steiner  claims  there  were  "Store"  theatres 
nineteen  years  ago  where  motion  pictures  were  exhib- 
ited. He  conducted  one  himself  in  Chicago  in  1902. 
William  T.  Rock  claims  that  he  conducted  one  in  New 
Orleans  in  1896,  but  the  big  movement  began  in  1905. 

The  "Store"  theatre,  where  a  continuous  show  of 
moving  pictures  was  presented  at  a  five-cent  admission 
price,  as  far  as  can  be  ascertained  from  careful  re- 
search, was  first  launched  in  England,  where  T.  J.  West 
is  credited  with  extensive  operations  as  early  as  1904. 
Moreover,  returning  Americans  stated  to  the  writer 
that  in  Berlin  an  industrious  "Yankee"  whose  name 
now  escapes  me  was  operating  a  chain  of  confection- 
ery stores  in  which  moving-picture  shows  were  given 


FELIX  ISMAN 


The  first  to   invest  his  capital  in  Exclusively  Moving 
Picture  Theatres  in  New  York  City  and  Philadelphia 


of    Science 17 

in  the  ice  cream  parlors,  with  tables  and  chairs  suf- 
ficient to  accommodate  two  hundred  patrons.  One  had 
to  purchase  what  was  called  a  "refreshment  check" — 
costing  one  mark — before  entrance  to  the  parlors  was 
permitted. 

In  July,  1904,  the  writer  made  a  fast  trip  abroad, 
going  and  returning  on  the  same  steamer.  While  wait- 
ing for  a  train  at  Shrewsbury,  England,  I  took  a  stroll 
with  Mrs.  Grau,  when  it  occurred  to  us  that  it  would 
be  well  to  telephone  to  Madame  Patti  (where  we  were 
to  spend  two  days  at  her  Craig-y-Nos  castle  in  Wales) 
of  our  safe  arrival.  Entering  what  appeared  to  be  a 
restaurant,  we  were  confronted  by  the  unusual  sight 
of  by  no  means  inferior  moving  pictures  flashed  on  the 
screen  while  the  guests  were  dining.  No  admission 
price  was  charged,  and  there  was  a  large  platform 
near  the  entrance  where  non-diners  could  stand  with- 
out being  obliged  to  purchase  any  food. 

Herbert  Miles  of  the  Miles  Brothers  of  New  York 
and  California  (one  of  the  earliest  moving-picture  con- 
cerns in  the  country  and  active  factors  in  every  phase 
of  the  industry  almost  from  the  outset  of  the  evolution) 
was  operating  vaudeville  theatres  in  the  far  West  in 
1905,  and  it  is  certain  that  he  was  one  of  the  first  in 
the  field  in  that  part  of  the  country  to  run  a  nickel 
store  show. 

In  1906  Harry  Davis  of  Pittsburg,  one  of  the  pio- 
neers of  vaudeville  as  we  know  it  to-day,  who  has  been 
first  invariably  to  launch  novelties  in  the  entertainment 
line  in  that  city,  discovered  that  he  had  an  unused  por- 
tion of  the  ground  floor  of  one  of  his  playhouses  on  a 
main  street,  and  he  constructed  there  a  bijou  audito- 
rium with  what  is  believed  to  have  been  the  forerun- 
ner of  the  "Nicolet,"  in  that  nearly  all  of  the  thou- 


Cfte    Cfteatte 


sands  of  store  theatres  that  came  afterward  were  ap- 
parently modeled  after  Davis'  unique  idea.  It  is  also 
worthy  of  note  that  the  financial  success  of  the  Davis 
innovation  was  so  great  that  it  awakened  the  vaudeville 
managers  of  the  country  to  the  necessity  of  entering 
this  new  field  in  one  way  or  another,  or  else  be  con- 
fronted with  endless  competition,  for  vaudeville  in  that 
day  was  not  yet  given  at  high  admission  prices. 

In  February,  1906,  J.  Austin  Fynes,  in  association 
with  Charles  S.  Kline,  opened  at  No.  35  West  125th 
Street  the  first  "Nickelet"  picture  show  in  New  York 
City.  Kline  had  previously  (July,  1905)  operated  a 
five-cent  "store"  show  in  Paterson,  N.  J.  Both  Fynes 
and  Kline  admit  that  they  got  their  idea  from  Harry 
Davis'  success  in  Pittsburgh,  and  Fynes  frankly  told 
the  writer  that  he  personally  went  to  Pittsburgh  at  the 
suggestion  of  the  late  B.  F.  Keith  (for  whom  he  was 
then  acting  in  a  confidential  capacity)  to  look  over  the 
Davis  place. 

The  "Nickelet"  or  "Nicolet"  (as  both  titles  were 
used)  was  an  instantaneous  success.  Fynes  with  char- 
acteristic generosity  spread  the  good  news  widely 
among  showmen  by  opening  the  first  "Nicolets"  in 
New  Haven,  Jersey  City,  and  in  The  Bronx.  These 
were  all  rather  pretentious  places  of  their  kind,  and 
until  the  regular  theatres  were  utilized  a  well-conduct- 
ed Nicolet,  even  with  a  300-seat  limit  as  to  capacity, 
was  easily  good  for  $200  to  $350  a  week  profit. 

Marcus  Loew,  William  Fox,  and  Sol  Brill,  of  Moss 
&  Brill,  were  among  the  earliest  to  enter  the  "Nicolet" 
field.  Loew  was  operating  penny  arcades  in  1905-06, 
and  interested  in  slot-machine  parlors  in  New  York, 
Cincinnati,  and  Covington,  Ky.  He  had  a  penny  ar- 
cade diagonally  opposite  to  Fynes'  Moving  Picture 


of    Science 


"Nicolet"  on  West  125th  Street,  and  Loew  observed 
that  the  crowds  that  were  wont  to  come  to  his  place  to 
spend  their  coppers  were  flocking  "en  masse"  to  the 
"Nicolet"  across  the  street. 

Within  a  month  Loew  dismantled  all  of  his  penny 
arcades  and  transformed  them  into  moving-picture 
shows,  with  the  auditoriums  a  little  more  commodi- 
ous than  those  first  in  the  field.  Success  was  truly 
remarkable.  Loew  saw  a  great  future  for  himself,  and 
he  began  to  expand  in  every  direction.  The  first  big 
move  he  made  was  to  organize  the  People's  Amuse- 
ment Company.  Adolph  Zukor  was  heavily  interested 
in  film  shows,  the  latter  having  prospered  with  his 
store  shows  the  same  as  Loew.  Then  followed  the 
Marcus  Loew  Theatre  Movement,  which  converted  al- 
most instantaneously  a  half  dozen  or  more  of  New 
York's  unsuccessful  playhouses  into  gold-laden  tem- 
ples of  the  silent  drama.  The  career  of  Marcus  Loew 
is  beyond  doubt  the  most  extraordinary  in  the  history 
of  the  theatre.  Six  years  ago  he  was  unknown.  To- 
day he  is  the  actual  head  in  sole  control  of  the  largest 
number  of  theatres,  most  of  which  he  owns  outright, 
that  were  ever  under  one  management.  In  1914  Loew 
purchased  the  twenty-seven  theatres  owned  by  Sulli- 
van &  Considine,  the  deal  involving  several  millions. 

But  Marcus  Loew's  success  is  not  altogether  due  to 
opportunity,  rather  is  it  to  be  attributed  to  a  dominat- 
ing yet  ingratiating  personality  and  the  gift  of  creating 
capable  executives  in  the  first  place  and  rewarding 
them  as  they  have  shown  capacity.  These  qualities 
explain  the  amazingly  meteoric  careers  of  the  brothers 
Schenk  and  David  Bernstein,  who  six  years  ago  joined 
Loew  at  a  clerk's  salary.  All  three  are  to-day  wealthy, 
with  annual  incomes  of  prodigious  proportions.  Yet 


20 Cfie    Cfteatre 

they  will  admit  this  condition  is  due  to  Loew's  gener- 
osity and  appreciation;  but  Loew  does  not  look  at  it 
that  way.  He  feels  that  he  has  been  wholly  justified  in 
granting  to  his  loyal  aids  everything  he  has  meted  out 
to  them,  and  states  further  that  he  would  gladly  wel- 
come a  few  more  Schenks  and  Bernsteins. 

William  Fox  was  a  performer  of  the  kind  who 
fifteen  to  twenty  years  ago  were  wont  to  "play  dates" 
in  the  vicinity  of  East  14th  Street  (the  locale  where 
Fox  made  moving-picture  history  a  few  years  after- 
ward). I  recall  when  the  late  Cliff  Gordon  and  Fox 
were  prime  favorites  in  Clarendon  Hall  on  East  13th 
Street,  where,  under  the  name  of  Schmaltz  Brothers, 
they  commanded  a  weekly  honorarium  of  $25  jointly. 
Fox  is  credited  with  opening  the  first  "store"  theatre 
in  Brooklyn.  Also  he  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first 
to  combine  moving  pictures  and  vaudeville  in  the  man- 
ner that  became  the  foundation  for  the  prosperous 
chains  of  theatres  all  over  the  country  with  a  similar 
policy. 

Fox  at  one  time  had  three  large  playhouses  on  East 
14th  Street,  all  presenting  moving  pictures,  with  a 
combined  rental  for  the  three  of  about  $200,000  annu- 
ally. To-day  his  activities  are  almost  beyond  calcula- 
tion. Besides  a  score  or  more  playhouses,  some  of  which 
he  erected  in  the  last  three  years,  Fox  is  at  the  head  of 
film  companies  galore,  and  is  about  as  great  a  factor 
in  the  industry  from  its  manufacturing  and  distribut- 
ing sides  as  from  the  exhibiting. 

Fox  and  Brill,  like  many  more  successful  film  mag- 
nates of  to-day,  hailed  from  New  York's  East  Side. 
The  two  were  originally  partners  when  both  began 
operations,  but  later  Fox,  like  Loew,  decided  to  go  it 


, 


NICHOLAS  M.  SCHENCK 

General  Manager  Loew's  Theatrical 
Enterprises 


JOSEPH  M.  SCHENCK 

General  Manager  Loew's  Booking 


MARCUS  LOEW  AT  WORK 


of    Science     21 

alone.    It  was  then  that  the  firm  of  Moss  &  Brill  was 
formed. 

It  was  "Jack"  Fynes — now  passed  away — who  first 
saw  the  importance  of  moving  pictures  as  a  vital  part 
of  the  programs  of  the  vaudeville  theatres,  and  it  was 
by  intelligent  handling  of  the  F.  F.  Proctor  houses  with 
this  policy  that  eventually  determined  the  firm  of  Keith 
&  Proctor  (now  separated)  to  give  an  entire  program 
of  pictures  at  the  23d  Street  Proctor  house,  where 
"Jack"  Fynes'  methods  were  so  productive  financially 
that  the  Union  Square  followed  suit,  and  in  short  order 
both  Keith  and  Proctor  individually  and  as  a  firm  re- 
duced their  vaudeville  commitments  and  enlarged  and 
expanded  their  moving-picture  operations,  with  a  final 
result  so  successful  that  it  is  conceded  that  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  Keith  and  Proctor  fortunes  is  due  to  the 
camera  man  and  his  productivity. 


22  Cfte   Cfteatre 


CHAPTER   II 

While  a  single  volume  is  wholly  inadequate  to  re- 
veal the  scope  and  immensity  of  an  industry  which, 
while  the  work  is  in  process  of  preparation,  is  expand- 
ing to  overwhelming  proportions,  the  author  hopes  to 
present  as  typical  illustrations  of  the  general  progress 
in  film  institutions,  a  description  of  those  representa- 
tive organizations  which  inaugurated  their  activities 
in  the  earliest  days  of  motion  picture  exploitation,  and 
of  these  the  Vitagraph  Company  of  America  is,  indeed, 
a  remarkable  example. 

Starting,  like  many  others,  exploiting  merely  its  ap- 
paratus, it  is  but  fair  to  state  that  following  the  vogue 
of  the  Cinematograph  and  Biograph,  and  before  the 
period  when  every  vaudeville  theatre  was  wont  to  give 
its  own  name  to  the  projecting  machine,  the  Vitagraph 
was  in  more  general  use,  at  least  in  the  East  and 
North,  than  any  of  the  countless  'graphs  and  'scopes 
which  for  nearly  ten  years  were  exploited  in  theatres, 
museums  and  wherever  public  entertainment  was  a 
factor,  and  long  after  the  period  when  players  from  the 
regular  stage  entered  the  studios  and  changed  the  en- 
tire output  on  the  screen,  the  Vitagraph  was  still  feat- 


I! 


<    g 

&     .2 


t>f    Science 23 

ured  in  the  best  Metropolitan  vaudeville  theatres;  in 
fact,  I  believe  that  Hammerstein's  Victoria  Theatre  did 
not  cease  to  exploit  the  Vitagraph  as  a  regular  number 
on  its  programs  until  long  after  the  advent  of  photo- 
plays. 

The  growth  of  the  Vitagraph  organization  is  but  a 
tribute  to  the  prolonged  team  work  of  three  pioneers, 
Messrs.  Blackton,  Rock  and  Smith.  The  former  I  re- 
call in  the  early  days  of  refined  vaudeville,  when  he 
came  forth  with  an  artistic  offering  clearly  over  the 
heads  of  the  vaudeville  patrons  of  that  day.  Rock 
was  one  of  the  very  first  to  go  about  the  country  ex- 
hibiting motion  pictures  in  halls,  stores  and  tents;  as 
early  as  1896,  when  the  Cinematograph  was  astonish- 
ing New  Yorkers  at  Keith's,  Rock  was  coining  money 
in  New  Orleans.  A  little  later  in  New  England,  so 
the  story  goes,  Rock  affiliated  with  the  local  manager 
of  a  small  town  "op'ry  house."  The  two  did  not  get  on 
long  together.  The  local  manager  could  not  see  any 
future  in  exhibiting  films,  so  he  went  back  to  the  town 
where  he  had  his  "op'ry  house,"  and  Rock,  possessing 
the  showmanship  instinct,  determined  to  go  it  alone, 
while  the  "op'ry  house"  manager,  when  last  heard  of, 
was  yet  in  his  native  town,  though  the  lure  of  the 
camera  was  so  persistent  that  he  abandoned  the  stage 
and,  like  hundreds  of  others,  solved  the  problem  of  at- 
tracting his  public  by  the  now-accepted  mode,  which 
has  converted  more  than  ninety  per  cent,  of  New  Eng- 
land's regular  playhouses  into  dividend-paying  insti- 
tutions. But  Rock  looked  longingly  on  the  big  me- 
tropolis. His  two  years  of  exhibiting  about  the 
country  had  not  only  enriched  him  beyond  all  expecta- 
tions, but  had  convinced  him  that  the  time  was  ripe  to 


24 Cfte    Cfaeatte 

enter  the  manufacturing  side  of  the  industry  on  a 
large  scale. 

In  the  meantime,  Messrs.  Blackton  and  Smith,  who 
had  been  lyceum  entertainers  from  1894  to  1896,  were 
interested  in  moving  pictures  in  a  small  way.  Both 
were  experienced  along  lines  which  enabled  the  two 
to  grasp  the  opportunity  that  they  felt  was  clearly 
at  hand.  Albert  A.  Smith,  like  J.  Stuart  Blackton,  was 
something  of  an  artist,  much  interested  in  photog- 
raphy, electricity  and  mechanics,  and  as  several  pro- 
jecting machines,  mostly  inferior,  were  already  on  the 
market,  Smith  was  emboldened  to  build  a  machine  that 
would  project  pictures  on  the  sheet.  This,  he  con- 
fesses, was  crude ;  so  to  hasten  his  plan,  Smith  acquired 
several  of  the  projecting  machines  already  on  the  mar- 
ket, and  adapting  to  them  a  device  which  he  had  in- 
vented to  reset  the  picture  when  the  film  had 
"jumped"  (one  of  the  early  troubles  of  the  exhibitors 
of  that  day),  and  demonstrating  the  success  of  the  im- 
provement, early  in  1897,  Messrs.  Smith  and  Blackton 
started  the  Vitagraph  Company  in  a  Nassau  street  of- 
fice building. 

Rock  was  exhibiting  his  Vitascope  long  after  the 
Vitagraph  Company  was  launched.  In  1899  he  came 
to  New  York  and  started  a  competition  which  threat- 
ened the  future  of  the  Vitagraph ;  the  latter  had  in  1899 
become  almost  a  monopoly,  and  Rock's  breaking  in 
with  his  Vitascope  was  looked  upon  by  Blackton  and 
Smith  as  a  serious  menace  to  the  structure  the  latter 
had  reared. 

One  night,  at  the  corner  of  125th  street  and  Third 
avenue,  the  three  pioneers  met,  and  as  a  result  of  this 
impromptu  meeting,  the  triumvirate  which  to-day 
stands  at  the  top  of  moving  picturedom  was  formed. 


JOHN  BUNNY 


ANITA  STEWART 


EARLE  WILLIAMS  CLARA  KIMBALL  YOUNG 

Four  Vilagraph  Stars 


of    Science 25 

Here  were  three  men,  all  showmen,  each  possessing 
technical  knowledge  of  the  craft  from  different  angles, 
and  each  had  already  accumulated  a  bank  account; 
hence  in  the  Nassau  street  office  in  1899  the  Vitagraph 
Company  began  the  expansion  which,  after  fifteen 
years,  has  assumed  such  vast  proportions  that  one  may 
only  conjecture  an  estimate  as  to  the  total  valuation 
of  its  world-wide  holdings.  Yet,  as  the  Vitagraph  has 
accomplished  greater  things  in  the  last  year  than  in 
all  the  previous  years  combined,  the  historian  who  may 
be  called  upon  in  the  near  future  to  recite  the  growth 
of  the  film  industry  will  surely  not  lack  for  a  basic 
example  of  extraordinary  achievement  in  the  pro- 
longed and  harmonious  activities  of  the  three  pioneers 
accidentally  brought  together  on  that  Third  avenue 
corner  on  a  wintry  night  sixteen  years  ago. 

All  three  of  the  heads  of  the  Vitagraph  Company 
were  wont  to  help  out  in  the  acting  before  the  camera 
in  those  years  when  the  vaudeville  managers  relied  on 
the  productivity  of  the  film  studio  as  the  most  effective 
"chaser"  within  their  reach,  but  one  day,  as  stated 
elsewhere,  moving  pictures  ceased  to  be  regarded 
as  a  "chaser,"  and  the  gentlemen  who  might  have 
controlled  all  filmdom  as  they  do  control  the  greater 
part  of  high-grade  vaudeville,  were  awakened  not  only 
to  the  value  of  the  motion  picture  as  a  feature,  but  dis- 
covered, to  their  joy  and  amazement,  that  an  entire 
performance  could  be  given,  if  necessary,  without  an 
actor  treading  the  boards  in  the  flesh. 

This  revelation  of  the  influence  of  the  motion  pic- 
ture came  late  in  1900,  and  it  happened  this  way: 

In  that  year  the  so-called  vaudeville  trust  was  born 
and  in  the  same  year  it  so  nearly  came  a-cropper  that 
but  for  the  patience  and  perseverance  of  Daniel  F. 


26 Cfte   Cfteatrr 

Hennessy,  the  association  of  vaudeville  managers 
would  have  gone  out  of  existence.  That  it  has  sur- 
vived to  become  one  of  the  greatest  institutions  in  the- 
atredom  may  now  be  due  to  the  efforts  of  its  brilliant 
head  officers,  but  fourteen  years  ago  it  was  the  de- 
spised moving  picture,  erstwhile  "chaser,"  that  pre- 
vented dissolution,  bankruptcy  and  humiliation. 

Automatically  with  the  formation  of  the  Managerial 
Combine,  eight  intrepid  actors  of  the  "variety  show" 
era,  headed  by  the  most  unselfish  thespian  of  his  time, 
organized  after  the  manner  of  the  London  Water  Rats, 
the  now  vast  body  of  stagefolk  known  as  "the  White 
Rats."  George  Fuller  Golden,  who  has  since  given  up 
his  life,  a  martyr  to  the  cause  which  the  organiza- 
tion stood  for,  resented  the  spectacle  of  the  vaudeville 
managers  paying  the  actors  ninety  and  ninety-five  per 
cent,  of  their  salaries  and  retaining  the  difference  for 
themselves;  moreover  he  protested,  yet  the  so-called 
evil  continued,  and  one  day,  a  red-letter  day  in  motion 
picture  history,  when  the  membership  of  "the  White 
Rats"  assumed  tremendous  proportions,  the  daring 
Golden,  as  if  by  the  press  of  an  electric  button,  called 
out  the  vaudeville  performers  in  the  majority  of  the 
theatres,  controlled  by  the  "trust."  The  local  managers, 
as  well  as  the  mighty  potentates  who  dictate  the  des- 
tiny of  modern  vaudeville  to  this  day,  were  struck  with 
consternation.  They  were  wholly  unprepared  for  such 
a  catastrophe,  and  the  effort  to  replace  the  public  fa- 
vorites with  amateur  talent  and  professionals,  such  as 
could  be  hastily  summoned  to  their  aid,  failed  abso- 
lutely. Some  of  the  play  houses  closed  temporarily, 
others  were  enabled  to  open  solely  through  the  help  of 
the  camera  man.  At  last,  the  latter  had  come  into  his 
own.  The  day  of  the  "chaser"  had  passed  for  all  time 


of    Science 27 

as  far  as  he  was  concerned.  Showmen  all  over  the 
country  were  brought  to  realize  that  a  new  manner 
of  presenting  an  entire  "show"  was  now  possible  with- 
out any  need  for  worry  as  to  whether  the  "ghost  would 
walk"  on  salary  day. 

What  Rock  had  discovered  years  before  he  joined 
Blackton  and  Smith  was  now  apparent  to  all.  Marcus 
Loew  had  not  yet  entered  the  show  world ;  in  fact,  pre- 
vious to  1900  moving  pictures,  while  popular  to  the 
extent  that  they  were  used  as  a  time-killer  mainly  be- 
cause of  the  cheap  cost  of  the  service,  had  not  at- 
tracted the  public  unless  accompanied  with  vaudeville. 
This  condition,  of  course,  was  greatly  due  to  lack  of 
intelligent  effort  to  typify  the  attraction  itself.  In 
the  small  towns  a  few  showmen  made  money  because 
they  announced  a  "picture  show,"  and  on  Sundays 
played  to  capacity.  It  was  the  big  crowds  attracted 
on  the  Sabbath  throughout  New  England  in  opera 
houses  and  halls,  with  a  combination  of  moving  pic- 
tures and  illustrated  songs,  that  first  revealed  to  local 
managers  the  new  public  created.  In  a  city  like  New 
Britian,  Conn.,  where  moving  pictures  attracted  little 
or  no  interest  during  the  week,  as  a  number  in  the 
vaudeville  house,  all  of  the  three  playhouses,  and  every 
available  hall  was  utilized  on  Sundays,  and  though 
admission  prices  were  higher  than  now,  the  attendance 
was  overwhelming  for  all. 

Julius  Cahn,  at  this  period,  had  a  virtual  monopoly 
in  New  England,  as  far  as  the  best  theatres  is  con- 
cerned, and  the  part  that  Cahn  and  his  partner,  Grant, 
played  in  the  evolution  of  the  moving  picture  is  little 
known;  at  least,  one  never  hears  their  names  men- 
tioned these  days,  nor  do  we  hear  or  read  of  the  part 
Archie  L.  Shepard  played  in  film  history,  yet  the  writ- 


28 Cfte   Cfteatte 

er  believes  that  Shepard  was  one  of  the  vital  factors, 
if  not,  indeed,  the  most  vital,  in  developing  the  pres- 
ent-day vogue  of  moving  pictures  as  a  separate  at- 
traction. 

I  did  a  lot  of  traveling  in  those  years,  between  1900 
and  1905,  and  yet  I  never  met  this  man  whose  moving 
picture  shows  were  often  given  in  as  many  as  thirty 
opera  houses  and  halls  at  one  time.  What  has  be- 
come of  this  real  father  of  film  progress,  I  do  not  know. 
Like  so  many  others  who  solved  vital  problems,  he 
has  seemed  to  disappear,  but  the  story  of  his  strug- 
gles and  achievements  cannot  be  ignored  in  a  work  of 
this  character. 

Archie  L.  Shepard  was  the  first  in  America  to  appre- 
ciate the  great  possibilities  of  moving  pictures  as  an 
important  factor  in  theatrical  amusements,  and  in  spite 
of  almost  overwhelming  ridicule  and  opposition  by 
other  theatrical  managers,  after  persistently  surmount- 
ing innumerable  unexpected  obstacles,  to  bring  his 
theories  into  practical  and  successful  operation.  Hav- 
ing a  thorough  and  practical  knowledge  of  photo- 
graphy and  photo-projection,  Mr.  Shepard  became 
interested  in  motion  pictures  when  they  were  first  per- 
fected, and  in  1895  and  1896,  with  an  Armat  Magna- 
scope,  exploited  the  first  motion  pictures  ever  seen  in 
the  middle-western  states,  as  an  added  attraction  with 
dramatic  and  vaudeville  companies.  But  as  few  sub- 
jects of  real  interest  were  available,  when  the  novelty 
had  worn  off  he  discarded  the  picture  machine  tem- 
porarily and  devoted  himself  to  the  dramatic  field  ex- 
clusively. It  was  not  until  1900,  when  pictures  of  a 
wider  range  appeared  on  the  market,  that  he  became 
fully  convinced  that  a  diversified  program  of  moving 
pictures  could  be  arranged  to  make  a  complete  enter- 


of    Science  29 

tainment,  and  so  presented  in  first-class  theatres  that 
it  would  appeal  as  strongly  to  the  amusement-seeking 
public  as  any  other  type  of  theatrical  attraction.  No 
doubt  this  idea  was  originally  engendered  by  his  ex- 
perience several  years  previous,  when  managing  Miss 
Clara  Louise  Thompson,  a  dramatic  reader,  in  what 
was  then  called  a  picture  play,  entitled  "The  Chinook." 
"The  Chinook"  was  a  four-act  drama,  the  action  of 
which  was  illustrated  by  means  of  stereopticon  slides 
thrown  on  the  screen  in  rapid  succession,  while  Miss 
Thompson  read  the  dialogue  with  appropriate  change 
of  voice  for  each  character. 

This  proved  a  unique  entertainment,  but  lacked  the 
essential  realism  of  action  that  moving  pictures  might 
have  given  it.  Mr.  Shepard's  aim  in  preparing  his  first 
exhibition  was  to  have  it  appeal  to  all  the  human  emo- 
tions so  far  as  possible,  embracing  comedy,  tragedy, 
pathos  and  thrills  intermingled  with  glimpses  of  things 
beautiful,  and  so  selected  that  the  entertainment  in  its 
entirety  would  be  equally  pleasing  to  all  classes  of  peo- 
ple, from  the  most  intellectual  down  to  the  most  un- 
cultured. 

He  assumed  that  by  thus  presenting  an  amusement 
with  a  general  appeal  to  all  classes,  its  drawing  power 
would  consequently  be  much  greater  in  scope  than  the 
average  theatrical  attraction,  which  necessarily  was 
confined  in  its  appeal  to  some  one  indiviudal  class.  At 
this  time  moving  pictures  were  confined  in  their  use 
in  America  to  vaudeville  theatres,  where  they  were  put 
on  as  the  closing  act  of  the  bill,  and  were  considered 
of  such  slight  interest  that  most  of  the  audience  usu- 
ually  walked  out  during  their  presentation.  Vaude- 
ville managers,  who  used  pictures  at  all,  only  wanted 
comedy  subjects,  and  as  the  manufacturers  catered 


30      Cfte   Cfteatte 

entirely  to  this  demand,  Mr.  Shepard  encountered  his 
first  serious  difficulty,  when  preparing  to  launch  his 
new  type  of  amusement  enterprise,  in  the  scarcity  of 
suitable  moving-picture  subjects  with  which  to  make 
up  a  good  program  of  the  desired  length  and  quality 
to  conform  with  his  original  plan  of  diversity. 

This  he  accomplished,  however,  after  selecting  from 
the  entire  European  and  American  market  and  having 
some  special  subjects  made. 

The  next  and  most  serious  obstacle  arose  after  final- 
ly securing  a  program  to  his  liking  and  getting  out  an 
elaborate  line  of  special  printing  with  which  to  lavish- 
ly advertise  his  new  attraction,  when,  to  his  dismay, 
he  found  it  impossible  to  secure  dates  in  any  of  the 
first-class  theatres. 

He  had  planned  to  first  play  from  one  to  three-day 
engagements  in  the  smaller  cities  of  the  eastern  states 
to  prove  the  merits  of  his  attraction  before  invading 
the  larger  week-stand  cities,  and  relying  on  his  exten- 
sive acquaintance  and  past  association  with  these  the- 
atre managers,  expected  to  have  his  request  for  booking 
welcomed  by  them  as  usual,  but  to  his  chagrin  and  dis- 
appointment they,  with  scarcely  an  exception,  ridi- 
culed his  project  and  refused  positively  to  have  the 
standing  of  their  theatres  lowered  by  playing  a  picture 
show  which  wouldn't  draw  enough  business  to  pay 
for  the  lights,  anyway,  as  they  put  it.  Many  of  these 
managers,  with  whom  Mr.  Shepard  had  been  most 
cordially  intimate,  expressed  sympathetic  regret  that 
he  should  have  used  such  poor  judgment  as  to  sink 
his  money  in  such  a  foolish  project,  and,  out  of  well- 
meant  kindness,  urged  him  to  abandon  it  without  get- 
ting in  deeper  with  consequent  loss  sure  to  follow  any 
attempt  at  exploitation.  In  spite  of  the  keen  disap- 


GUSTAVE  FROHMAN 

The  first  of  the  Frohmans  to  produce  for  the  stage  and  the' last  of  three  brothers  h  produce  for 

the  screen 


Reproduced  from  a  portrait  taken  impromptu  by  Raymond  Patterson,  Washington  corre- 
spondent of  the  "Chicago  Tribune" —  the  only  photograph  of 
Mr.  Frohman  extant 


of    Science 31 

pointment  attending  this  unexpected  setback,  he  was 
now  more  than  ever  determined  to  prove  the  correct- 
ness of  his  judgment  and  ability  as  a  showman.  De- 
nied the  use  and  prestige  of  theatres,  on  either  a  shar- 
ing or  rental  basis,  his  next  effort  was  to  enlist  the 
co-operation  of  societies  in  these  same  cities  and  en- 
deavor to  play  for  their  benefit  in  any  available  hall, 
but  he  found  the  societies  as  hard  to  convince  of  the 
artistic  or  pecuniary  merit  of  his  attraction  as  the  man- 
agers had  been.  In  the  meantime,  he  had  secured 
a  few  intermittent  dates  at  theatres  in  very  small  towns 
and  found  the  public  equally  skeptical  in  spite  of  his 
elaborate  advertising  matter,  although  he  experienced 
some  gratification  in  the  enthusiasm  manifested  by  the 
few  people  who  rather  timidly  attended,  the  most  of 
whom  came  in  on  passes. 

This  was  costly  encouragement,  however,  and  Mr. 
Shepard  soon  found  his  capital  nearly  gone,  but  was 
the  more  strengthened  in  his  determination  to  win. 

He  soon  found  that  church  societies  were  the  most 
susceptible  to  any  plausible  plan  of  raising  money,  and 
that  by  using  churches  to  give  the  entertainment  in 
the  hall  rent  expense  was  eliminated,  he  next  devoted 
his  efforts  to  enlisting  their  co-operation ;  and  often,  in 
order  to  clinch  the  arrangement  when  they  hesitated, 
he  would  bring  his  company  to  the  town  on  prayer- 
meeting  night  a  week  or  more  ahead  of  the  date  wanted 
and  donate  the  services  of  his  singer  and  pianist  in  a 
rendition  of  "The  Holy  City,"  illustrated  by  special 
moving  pictures.  This  being  one  of  the  features  of 
his  entertainment,  its  free  presentation  never  failed  to 
secure  the  date,  and  usually  aroused  so  much  enthu- 
siasm among  the  church  members  present  that  they 
had  no  difficulty  in  selling  enough  tickets  to  pack  the 


32  Cfte    Cfteatte 

church  on  the  night  of  the  exhibition.  Of  course,  this 
method  of  exploitation  was  a  vast  deviation  from  Mr. 
Shepard's  original  plan,  and  was  a  last  resort  necessi- 
tated by  the  numerous  unexpected  circumstances.  It 
was,  nevertheless,  slightly  profitable  though  laborious, 
and,  above  all,  the  enthusiasm  the  exhibition  invariably 
created  fully  established  in  his  own  mind  the  correct- 
ness of  his  theory  as  to  the  merit  of  this  form  of  amuse- 
ment. 

In  the  meantime,  he  never  ceased  in  his  efforts  for 
a  trial  in  city  theatres,  and  finally  succeeded  in  secur- 
ing Labor  Day  at  the  Academy  of  Music  in  Haver- 
hill,  Mass.,  on  short  notice.  Much  to  the  surprise  of 
the  local  manager,  who  had  been  grieved  at  being 
without  a  regular  attraction  for  the  holiday,  "Shepard's 
Moving  Pictures"  played  to  very  good  business,  and 
his  amazement  at  the  reception  given  the  show  aroused 
his  own  enthusiasm  so  that  he  offered  Mr.  Shepard 
his  next  open  date,  which  was  played  to  a  capacity 
business.  This  proved  the  turning  point  and  the  real 
beginning  of  the  moving-picture  show  as  a  bona-fide 
theatrical  attraction. 

At  this  time  the  bookings  of  the  principal  theatres 
throughout  New  England  were  controlled  by  the  firm 
of  Cahn  &  Grant,  of  New  York,  who  persistently  re- 
fused to  consider  Mr.  Shepard's  request  for  booking, 
in  spite  of  his  success  in  the  few  independent  theatres 
he  had  succeeded  in  booking  on  the  strength  of  the  big 
business  he  had  done  in  Haverhill.  He  then  conceived 
a  novel  plan  for  an  entering  wedge  in  the  Cahn  & 
Grant  circuit  by  proposing  to  Mr.  Cahn  that  his  type 
of  amusement,  being  in  reality  an  exhibition,  could  be 
presented  in  their  theatres  Sundays,  thus  bringing  a 
revenue  on  a  day  the  house  would  otherwise  be  closed. 


of    Science  33 

Still  skeptical,  Mr.  Cahn  finally  agreed  to  let  him  try 
it  at  Lowell,  Mass.,  with  the  result  that  the  experi- 
ment proved  a  tremendous  success,  the  receipts  of  the 
first  Sunday's  matinee  and  night  amounting  to  nearly 
$1,000,  with  several  hundred  turned  away  at  each  per- 
formance, and  the  entertainment  was  received  with 
spontaneous  approval.  Thus  encouraged,  Mr.  Cahn  im- 
mediately arranged  a  consecutive  route  over  the  entire 
New  England  circuit,  and  before  that  season  was  over 
"Archie  L.  Shepard's  Moving  Pictures"  became  one  of 
the  best  drawing  theatrical  attractions  in  the  Eastern 
states.  This  popularity  was  not  achieved  without  con- 
tinued effort,  however,  for  even  after  the  first  bookings 
were  settled,  Mr.  Shepard  still  met  with  considerable 
antagonism  from  the  local  managers,  who  were  usually 
more  or  less  provoked  at  having  to  play  such  an  at- 
traction, and  until  they  had  once  seen  it,  treated  it  with 
contempt  and  made  little  or  no  effort  toward  giving  it 
proper  publicity.  To  overcome  this  lack  of  co-opera- 
tion, Mr.  Shepard  found  it  necessary  to  carry  three  ad- 
vance agents  to  insure  the  necessary  publicity  for  the 
first  engagement,  after  which,  however,  this  feeling 
was  directly  reversed,  the  attraction  being  cordially 
welcomed  on  subsequent  engagements  and  became  so 
popular  with  managers  and  public  that  he  experienced 
considerable  difficulty  in  securing  enough  new  sub- 
jects to  make  up  different  programs  for  the  several 
companies  needed  to  cover  the  increasing  demand  for 
his  attraction. 

Inside  of  a  year  several  traveling  companies  of 
"Shepard's  Moving  Pictures"  were  playing  three  and 
four  engagements  during  the  season  in  the  first-class 
theatres  of  all  the  principal  cities  throughout  the 
United  States  and  Canada,  and  in  addition  to  this,  Mr. 


Ct)e    Cfteatte 


Shepardwas  giving  special  moving-picture  shows  every 
Sunday  in  over  thirty  of  the  principal  Eastern  cities. 
Although  his  remarkable  success  brought  many  imita- 
tors into  the  field,  Mr.  Shepard  so  strongly  entrenched 
himself  that  for  years  he  had  a  practical  monopoly 
on  the  bookings  of  most  of  the  first-class  theatres 
throughout  the  country  for  this  style  of  attraction,  and 
the  quarter-annual  engagement  of  "Shepard's  Moving 
Pictures"  was  soon  considered  as  important  with  man- 
agement and  public  as  the  largest  dramatic  or  musical 
production.  Regardless  of  the  unprecedented  success 
of  his  moving  pictures  in  the  smaller  cities,  it  was  not 
until  1904  that  he  could  secure  bookings  in  New  York 
City,  and  Sunday,  December  3rd,  of  that  year  he  gave 
New  York  City  its  first  moving  pictures  as  a  complete 
theatrical  attraction  at  the  Fourteenth  Street  Theatre. 
In  a  short  time  Shepard's  pictures  were  showing  at 
six  different  theatres  in  New  York  and  Brooklyn  every 
Sunday  matinee  and  night  at  prices  ranging  from  25 
cents  to  $1.00. 

At  this  time  Archie  L.  Shepard  was  undoubtedly 
the  largest  exhibitor  of  moving  pictures  in  the  world, 
and  his  persistent  demand  for  dramatic  subjects  un- 
questionably had  much  to  do  with  the  eventual  de- 
velopment of  this  great  industry  along  that  line. 

In  the  meantime,  appreciation  of  the  value  of  moving 
pictures  as  a  distinctive  amusement  had  become  gen- 
eral, and  small  picture  theatres  began  to  appear,  where 
from  twenty  to  thirty  minutes  of  moving  pictures  were 
shown  at  5  or  10  cents  admission.  Mr.  Shepard  was 
quick  to  perceive  the  eventual  result  of  this  encroach- 
ment on  his  exhibiting  monopoly,  and  also  saw  the 
advantages  of  the  shorter  exhibition  at  smaller  prices, 
if  attempted  on  a  sufficiently  large  scale.  To  the  as- 


of    Science 


tonishment  of  other  theatrical  managers,  he  leased  the 
Manhattan  Theatre,  at  33rd  Street  and  Broadway,  New 
York,  which  until  then  had  housed  only  notable  pro- 
ductions at  $2.00  prices,  and  installed  a  continuous 
hourly  performance  of  moving  pictures  from  12  noon 
until  11  o'clock  at  night,  at  10  cents  admission.  At 
first  this  audacious  venture  brought  forth  some  ridi- 
cule and  more  sympathy  from  his  well-meaning 
friends,  but  in  a  short  time  many  of  the  crowds  were 
unable  to  secure  standing  room,  and  the  Manhattan 
Theatre  during  Mr.  Shepard's  tenancy  made  larger 
weekly  profits  than  ever  before  during  its  eventful  his- 
tory. Soon  after  this,  Proctor's  Twenty-third  Street, 
the  Fourteenth  Street,  Keith's  Union  Square,  and  sev- 
eral other  theatres  adopted  Mr.  Shepard's  policy  with 
like  results. 

As  Archie  L.  Shepard  was  the  first  to  see  the  great 
possibilities,  and  exploit  moving  pictures  as  a  separate 
and  distinct  type  of  theatrical  amusement,  successfully 
bringing  about  their  popularity  as  such,  he  likewise 
was  the  first  to  give  this  form  of  amusement  of  his 
creation  a  permanent  home  in  a  first-class  Broadway 
theatre  at  popular  prices;  and  to  his  foresight  and 
venturous  persistence  this  great  industry  of  the  pres- 
ent day  owes  much  of  its  growth  and  evolution. 

In  the  amusement  field  David  Horsley  has  had  one 
of  those  interesting  careers  such  as  only  the  first  two 
decades  of  the  twentieth  century  can  record.  The 
growth  of  the  film  industry  has  brought  many  men 
to  the  front  in  a  few  years,  but  the  rise  of  Horsley  was 
accomplished  as  a  result  of  adamantine  persistency  in 
the  face  of  never-ceasing  disappointments. 

Like  nearly  all  of  the  successful  film  men  of  to-day, 
Horsley  began  as  an  exhibitor,  and,  like  so  many  oth- 


36 Cfte    Cfteatre 

ers,  he  lost  his  all  with  his  first  venture.  To  him  the 
loss  of  $250  invested  in  a  little  picture  theatre  in  1907 
was  a  calamity  almost  as  great  as  the  loss  of  Standard 
Oil  would  be  to  a  Rockefeller.  Horsley  had  never 
failed  in  his  previous  business  career  to  make  at  least 
a  good  living.  The  loss  of  all  his  savings  in  the  nickel 
theatre,  he  says,  took  all  of  the  sunshine  out  of  his 
life;  but  he  then  and  there  took  a  vow  that  he  would 
get  that  $250  back  from  the  same  "game"  he  lost  it  in. 

Investigating  the  moving-picture  situation,  Horsley 
found  there  were  three  branches  to  operate  in.  He  had 
failed  in  one  of  these.  He  did  not  have  capital  enough 
to  embark  in  the  exchange  branch,  hence  there  was 
left  for  him  but  one  choice — that  of  manufacturing. 
He  had  never  even  used  a  kodak  in  his  life,  and  the 
only  place  he  had  ever  been  in  a  theatre  was  amongst 
the  audience. 

Associated  with  Horsley  in  his  ill-fated  picture  show 
was  Charles  Gorman,  who  had  two  years'  experience 
with  the  Biograph  Company  as  actor  and  all-around 
helper,  and  the  two  joined  hands,  having  obtained  a 
promise  from  a  semi-professional  photographer  who 
knew  a  little  about  moving  pictures  to  look  after  the 
all-important  problem  of  securing  a  camera.  Horsley 
raised  some  money,  converted  the  picture  theatre  into 
a  factory,  and  Gorman  was  to  paint  the  scenery,  write 
the  stories,  engage  actors,  and  direct.  The  photog- 
rapher was  to  operate  the  camera  and  supervise  the 
dark-room  work.  Horsley  was  to  be  the  boss,  paying 
salaries  to  the  others  and  a  part  of  the  profits. 

In  January,  1908,  work  began  on  the  factory;  by 
March  1st  it  was  ready  to  operate,  but  the  photograph- 
er was  non-est.  The  latter  had  become  "leary,"  and 
had  accepted  a  surer  job,  even  selling  his  camera  to  a 


of    Science 37 

Cuban  exhibitor.  Horsley  was  now  in  the  position 
where  every  dollar  he  controlled  was  invested  in  the 
factory.  He  had  a  studio,  but  no  camera,  and  this  was 
so  hard  to  get  in  1909  that  the  only  one  offered  was 
an  Urban,  which  was  offered  for  $800  at  George 
Kleine's  office  on  Sixth  Avenue,  but  it  would  take  eight 
weeks  to  get  it. 

Horsley  decided  that  he  must  make  a  camera.  He 
had  never  seen  a  moving-picture  machine  inside  or  out- 
side, but  he  had  a  certain  kind  of  intuition  and  in- 
genuity, and  that  night  he  figured  out  what  had  to 
happen  inside  of  the  camera  in  order  to  make  pictures. 
Horsley  started  in  to  construct  a  camera,  and  in  four 
weeks  the  machine  was  ready  to  operate.  With  this 
camera  Horsley  actually  made  four  or  five  pictures  that 
were  sold,  but  he  abandoned  it  and  then  built  one  that 
would  make  steadier  pictures. 

With  the  improved  machine  Horsley  made  pictures 
good  enough  to  merit  the  praise  of  Frank  L.  Dyer, 
Henry  Marvin,  and  J.  J.  Kennedy;  but  after  Horsley 
developed  his  negatives  he  found  it  was  just  as  hard  to 
buy  printing  machines  as  cameras.  So  Horsley  got 
busy  once  more  at  his  work  bench  and  built  a  ma- 
chine that  would  print  the  necessary  copies.  This  ma- 
chine was  used  a  year,  and  Horsley  says  now  it  did  the 
best  work  he  has  ever  had  done.  It  was  abandoned 
only  because  later  regular  printing  machines  were 
available. 

But  Horsley  determined  that  his  own  machine  was 
worth  being  patented.  Though  he  applied  for  a  patent 
April  21,  1909,  he  did  not  secure  it  till  April  15,  1913. 
Now  Horsley  is  making  these  printers  for  the  general 
market,  because  they  give  absolute  contact. 

Making  his  first  release  in  1908,  Horsley  was  but  a 


38 Cfte    Cfteatte 

few  weeks  behind  the  Kalem  Company  in  entering  the 
producing  field.  These  few  weeks,  however,  prevented 
his  becoming  a  member  of  the  Patents  Company,  or- 
ganized in  1908,  under  the  name  of  Edison  licensees. 
Discovering  that  there  was  a  market  only  for  seven  or 
eight  copies,  and  that  the  negatives  possible  within  the 
financial  return  were  unsalable  at  any  price,  Horsley 
discontinued  operations,  having  a  well-equipped  plant 
on  his  hands. 

About  this  time  Ludwig  G.  B.  Erb  entered  the  field, 
and  Horsley  sold  to  him  a  half  interest  in  his  business 
for  a  small  sum,  but  enough  to  pay  off  the  most  press- 
ing of  his  debts.  The  two  started  to  make  pictures 
with  some  success,  but  did  not  agree,  Horsley  purchas- 
ing Erb's  interest.  The  latter  withdrew  to  become  as- 
sociated with  P.  A.  Powers.  This  affiliation  did  not 
last  long,  and  Erb  organized  and  still  conducts  the 
Crystal  Film  Company. 

It  was  in  this  year  (1908)  that  Frederick  Balsofer 
and  the  Messrs.  Baumann  and  Kessell  started  the  New 
York  Motion  Picture,  and  Carl  Laemmle  and  Edwin 
Thanhouser  launched  the  "Imp"  and  Thanhouser 
brands  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year.  These  were  fol- 
lowed by  other  independent  producers  sufficient  in 
number  to  become  a  menace  to  each  other  unless  or- 
ganized for  protection.  This  condition  led  to  the  for- 
mation of  the  Motion  Picture  Sales  Company,  now  de- 
funct, but  its  influence  for  two  years  is  conceded  to 
have  been  beneficial. 

The  Sales  Company,  through  a  committee,  handled 
all  of  the  endless  litigation  with  the  so-called  film  trust, 
spending  over  $300,000.  The  result  of  this  litigation 
was  the  survival  of  the  independent  movement;  but 
then  followed  wars  between  the  factions — peace  is  not 


of    Science 39 

yet  in  sight — and  the  independent  producers  divided 
into  two  groups,  now  comprising  the  Mutual  and  Uni- 
versal companies.  Both  are  developing  to  tremendous 
proportions.  The  Universal  is  controlled  absolutely  by 
four  or  five  men  who  started  in  1908  in  a  small  way. 
As  matters  stand,  Carl  Laemmle  appears  to  be  in  con- 
trol, and  the  consensus  of  opinion  is  that  he  not  only 
will  remain  in  control,  but  that  such  a  final  outcome  of 
the  prolonged  strife  is  desired  by  those  who  have  the 
welfare  of  the  industry  at  heart. 

While  the  Mutual  is  also  owned  by  a  group  of  pro- 
gressive film  men  who  started  around  1908  and  are 
now  wealthy  and  potent,  this  is  a  corporation  with  its 
stock  widely  distributed,  though  it  is  stated  that  an 
effort  is  being  made  to  purchase  the  smaller  holdings 
of  investors  which  may  well  be  based  on  fact,  as  the 
Mutual  preferred  stock  pays  7  per  cent,  and  the  com- 
mon 12  per  cent,  annually.  In  April,  1914,  the  quar- 
terly earnings  were  around  $125,000,  which  indicates 
a  half  million  a  year. 

When  the  division  of  the  independent  producers  was 
accomplished,  David  Horsley  cast  his  fortunes  with 
the  Universal,  and  I  am  tempted  to  quote  the  latter 
verbatim  as  to  some  interesting  film  history  anent  these 
two  groups  of  men  who  are  now  occupying  the  center 
of  the  stage  in  this  branch  of  the  amusement  field: 

"The  class  of  men  now  in  control  of  the  film  business 
were  always  ready  to  take  a  long  chance  legally  and 
otherwise.  They  were  all  individualists  who  do  not 
work  well  together,"  writes  Mr.  Horsley,  in  a  letter  to 
the  author. 

"'Lucky'  Laemmle,  'Foxy'  Powers,  'Erratic'  Swan- 
son,  'Suave'  Brulatour,  'Road-Roller'  Baumann,  and 
myself  were  thrown  in  one  basket,  and  the  cover  put 


40 C6e   Cfieatte 

on.  These  men  are  all  dynamos  accustomed  to  gener- 
ating their  own  power,  and  did  not  work  well  as  mo- 
tors, as  they  refused  to  receive  their  power  from  an 
aspiring  leader ;  this  brought  on  friction,  inducing  the 
affable  Brulatour  to  retire,  followed  by  Baumann  and 
Kessel. 

"Laemmle  was  in  Europe,  Swanson  in  California,  and 
Pat  Powers  and  myself  sat  on  the  lid  in  New  York. 
Things  went  along  fairly  smooth  until  Laemmle  and 
Swanson  returned  to  New  York,  when  began  a  strug- 
gle for  control  of  the  Universal  Company,  with  Laem- 
mle on  one  side  and  Powers  on  the  other,  with  the 
polished  Mark  Dintenfass  (head  of  the  Champion  Film 
Company,  which  for  some  reason  was  not  included,  on 
reorganization,  in  either  service),  the  holder  of  a  small 
block  of  stock  also  holding  the  balance  of  power  and 
fully  aware  of  the  fact." 

Dintenfass,  as  stated  in  another  chapter,  was  inter- 
ested in  the  first  talking  pictures,  and  he  organized  the 
Champion  Film  Company,  one  of  the  original  indepen- 
dent makers  of  picture  plays.  The  war  pictures  re- 
leased by  this  company  reflected  the  high  aims  of  a 
man  who  in  a  very  few  years  encountered  enough  liti- 
gation and  troublous  impediments  to  his  progress  to 
justify  the  reputation  he  achieved  as  "the  fighter  who 
never  capitulates." 

But  Dintenfass  was  the  all-important  figure  as  be- 
tween the  struggles  of  Laemmle  and  Powers  for  con- 
trol of  Universal.  Laemmle  and  Swanson  succeeded, 
however,  in  purchasing  the  Dintenfass  stock,  which, 
combined  with  their  own  holdings,  gave  them  control. 
Powers  accepted  the  situation  for  the  moment  with 
good  grace,  seeing  no  alternative  but  to  sell  his  stock 
to  Laemmle  and  Swanson.  This  he  proceeded  to  do, 


of    Science 41 

thus  leaving  Horsley,  who  owned  the  Nestor  brand  of 
film — one  of  the  very  best,  too,  of  that  day,  and  still 
better  to-day — as  a  hopeless  minority. 

In  the  meantime,  Powers  appears  to  have  realized 
that  he  made  a  big  mistake  to  part  with  his  holdings 
and  immediately  there  came  a  period  of  strife  between 
Laemmle  and  Swanson,  the  latter  siding  with  Powers. 
Here  was  Horsley's  chance  to  sell  his  stock,  but  it  is  to 
his  credit  that  he  conducted  his  part  of  the  sale  with  a 
fairness  that  has  left  him  on  friendly  terms  with  both 
factions;  but  the  price  that  Horsley  was  paid  in  1913 
for  the  outgrowth  of  the  plant  he  developed  in  1908  by 
converting  his  disastrous  picture  house  into  a  film  fac- 
tory was  exactly  $280,000. 

Powers  claims  he  had  an  option  on  Horsley's  stock, 
but  the  latter  insists  this  was  given  for  the  purpose  of 
being  displayed  so  as  to  induce  Laemmle  to  sell  out. 

From  these  proceedings  started  a  series  of  lawsuits, 
still  pending  at  this  writing.  Swanson  is  now  on  Pow- 
ers' side,  but  Laemmle  is  in  control,  and  Horsley  be- 
lieves will  so  remain  indefinitely.  The  latter  expressed 
this  opinion  to  the  writer  in  May,  1914: 

"Laemmle  will  eventually  win  out,"  said  Horsley, 
"because  it  will  be  recognized  that  he  is  the  most  ca- 
pable man  in  the  organization,  who  has  made  such 
strides  during  the  past  year  that  it  would  be  a  gross 
injustice  to  all  concerned  to  change  the  present  con- 
trol." 

As  for  Horsley,  he  did  not  retire  as  he  expected  to 
do  after  selling  his  Universal  stock.  Returning  from 
a  European  vacation  in  1913,  he  purchased  a  block  of 
Universal  stock  owned  by  his  brother  William,  who  in 
conjunction  with  P.  A.  Powers  had  built  a  factory  at 
Bayonne,  N.  J.  This  Horsley  also  acquired,  at  the 


42 Cfte   Cfteatre 

same  time  starting  more  lawsuits,  resulting  in  bring- 
ing him  back  into  the  field  on  a  large  scale. 

At  the  present  time,  besides  being  a  large  holder  of 
Universal  stock,  Horsley  is  the  head  of  the  Centaur 
Film  Co.,  director  of  the  Interstate  Film  Co.,  also  of 
the  New  England  and  Universal  Film  Exchanges;  is 
President  of  the  Washington  Paramount  Film  Co.,  and 
director  of  the  Bank  of  South  Hudson,  Bayonne,  N.  J. 

One  of  the  film  pioneers  to  make  his  impress  first  in 
the  West  was  John  J.  Murdock,  whose  achievements 
in  vaudeville  have  already  been  recorded  in  this  series 
of  volumes.  Murdock  exerted  the  main  influence  in 
the  organization  of  the  "independents." 

It  must  be  understood  that  in  the  period  from  1896 
to  1902  the  manufacturers  of  film  in  this  country  were 
the  Vitagraph,  Edison  and  Biograph  companies,  later 
augmented  by  W.  N.  Selig  and  George  K.  Spoor,  the 
last  two  operating  from  Chicago.  Mr.  Spoor  after- 
ward was  joined  by  Gilbert  M.  Anderson,  the  com- 
pany being  called  the  S  and  A  (Essanay).  Murdock 
being  in  Chicago  in  practical  control  of  vaudeville  and 
affiliated  with  the  Keith  and  Kohl  interests  which 
operated  the  majority  of  the  best  vaudeville  theatres, 
was  looked  to  by  his  associates  for  some  remedy  to 
existing  conditions.  These  were  the  days  of  guerilla 
warfare,  and  the  duper  was  in  his  glory.  Subjects 
were  no  sooner  filmed  than  they  were  immediately  du- 
plicated. The  vaudeville  managers  having  learned  the 
lesson  of  discipline  and  organization,  authorized  Mur- 
dock to  go  as  far  as  he  liked  with  a  view  to  establish- 
ing an  impregnable  competition;  but  it  was  1906  be- 
fore it  became  apparent  to  thinking  minds  that  some- 
thing should  be  undertaken  seriously.  It  was  from 
this  state  of  affairs  and  the  gradual  decline  of  public 


of    Science 


interest  in  the  period  from  1902-1906  that  created  the 
organization  of  what  is  now  known  as  the  Motion  Pic- 
ture Patents  Company. 

On  June  10,  1908,  this  company  was  formed  with  the 
combined  American  manufacturers,  namely,  the  Edi- 
son, Vitagraph  and  Biograph,  of  New  York  and  Or- 
ange, N.  J.;  Lubin,  of  Philadelphia;  Essanay  and  Se- 
lig,  of  Chicago;  Kalem  and  Melies,  of  New  York,  and 
George  Kleine,  of  Chicago,  who  controlled  then  the 
Gaumont  and  Urban  Eclipse  output  for  this  country. 
The  Pathe  Freres  were  already  strongly  entrenched  in 
the  American  market,  and  of  course  were  included  in 
the  combination,  which  as  an  entity  was  about  as  for- 
midable an  amalgamation  as  this  country  had  known 
up  to  that  time,  and  the  vaudeville  managers  concluded 
that  one  of  the  objects  of  the  amalgamation  was  to 
prevent  the  use  of  its  product  in  the  theatres  where 
vaudeville  was  the  basic  attraction.  It  was  commonly 
reported  that  a  measure  was  to  be  adopted  forbidding 
the  service  of  film  in  cooperation  with  vaudeville  acts. 
Also  it  was  claimed  that  the  so-called  "trust"  had  so 
fixed  things  that  foreign  manufacturers  of  film  could 
obtain  no  footing  in  this  country. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  in  1908,  when  a  con- 
tract was  placed  before  the  members  of  the  so-called 
Film  Rental  Association.  This  contract,  duly  signed, 
placed  the  Motion  Picture  Patents  Company  in  the  po- 
sition of  controlling  98  per  cent,  of  the  film  output,  a 
condition  that  caused  the  United  Vaudeville  interests 
of  the  country  to  look  after  their  welfare.  Murdock 
immediately  formed  the  International  Projecting  and 
Producing  Company.  This  was  within  forty-eight 
hours  after  the  formation  of  the  Patents  company. 

Before  the  ink  was  dry  on  the  signatures  of  the  Film 


Cfre    Cfteatte 


Rental  Association  the  cables  under  the  ocean  were 
carrying  messages  from  Murdock  that  resulted  in  the 
formation  of  an  organization  comprising  the  best  film 
manufacturers  abroad.  In  a  few  days  either  the  prin- 
cipals or  the  representatives  of  this  large  body  of  mo- 
tion picture  experts  were  on  the  seas  with  film,  bound 
for  this  country.  Like  a  bolt  from  a  clear  sky  came  the 
announcement  in  a  Chicago  trade  publication  —  "The 
Show  World"  —  that  the  International  Projecting  and 
Producing  Company  was  ready  to  release  20  reels  or 
more,  if  demand  warranted  it,  each  week.  As  far  as 
quantity  of  film  was  concerned,  the  new-born  inde- 
pendents were  on  a  par  with  the  amalgamated  Ameri- 
can manufacturers. 

Though  this  was  something  of  a  surprise  to  the  Pat- 
ents company,  its  officers  figured  that  it  still  held  the 
trump  card  up  its  sleeve,  and  at  the  next  session  of 
Congress  they  brought  to  bear  all  their  political  influ- 
ence to  have  a  prohibitive  duty  placed  on  film  in  the 
Aldrich  tariff  bill.  Had  they  succeeded,  the  death- 
knell  to  Independent  moving  pictures  would  have  been 
rung.  Murdock  went  to  Washington,  and  remained 
there  during  the  entire  summer,  while  Congress  was  in 
session  on  the  Payne-Aldrich  tariff  bill.  There  was  a 
continuous  fight  during  the  entire  summer,  between 
the  so-called  trust  faction,  Murdock  representing  the 
Independents,  which  he  had  formed.  But  when  the 
war  at  Washington  was  over,  instead  of  the  duty  hav- 
ing been  raised,  Murdock  succeeded  in  getting  the  duty 
lowered  on  all  imported  moving  pictures,  both  raw  and 
manufactured  film. 

Soon  after  this,  Murdock's  International  Company 
began  to  release  the  foreign-manufactured  film,  but 
soon  learned  they  were  handicapped  to  some  extent  by 


of    Science 45 

not  having  American-manufactured  goods,  to  have 
their  program  compare  favorably  with  the  trust.  It 
was  then  that  he  succeeded  in  getting  men  to  start 
manufacturing  American  product.  Messrs.  Baumann 
and  Kessel,  the  first  independent  producers,  started  the 
Bison,  Mr.  Carl  Laemmle  started  the  Imp  Manufac- 
turing Company;  Messrs.  Thanhouser,  P.  A.  Powers, 
and  about  ten  or  twelve  others  immediately  set  to  work 
to  manufacture  American  films,  under  the  direction  of 
Murdock,  as  he  had  agreed  to  protect  them  against 
the  trust  claim  of  infringements.  He  organized  a 
strong  force  of  lawyers  in  New  York  and  Chicago  to 
protect  all  these  people.  Working  night  and  day,  he 
broke  down  in  health,  and  had  to  take  a  trip  to  Eu- 
rope. When  it  was  announced  that  he  was  going  to 
leave,  it  was  joyous  news  to  the  trust,  and  the  Inde- 
pendents felt  for  the  moment  like  a  ship  without  a 
captain;  but  they  soon  found  there  was  still  the 
strong  law  force  to  protect  them  during  his  absence. 
Murdock  remained  in  Europe  a  short  time,  and,  after 
returning,  made  smooth  sailing  for  the  Independents, 
so  they  could  supply  a  bill  combining  European  and 
American  manufactured  goods  equal  to  the  Patents 
company  output. 

This  completed,  Murdock  then  retired  to  take  a  rest 
and  regain  his  health,  later  returning  to  the  vaudeville 
field,  and  allied  himself  with  the  United  Booking  Of- 
fices, where  he  is  still  active.  However,  even  after  re- 
tiring from  the  film  interests,  he  was  the  advisor,  and 
all  the  American  manufacturers  sought  his  advice. 
The  Independents  continued  to  succeed  and  build  up, 
although  handicapped  and  harassed  by  the  opposition. 
The  only  great  drawback  they  seemed  to  have  was  se- 
curing the  raw  material  for  the  productions.  The  Pat- 


46 C&e    Cfreatte 

ents  company  had  a  contract  with  Eastman  whereby 
the  Eastman  Company  would  supply  no  one  but  the 
amalgamated  manufacturers  with  the  raw  material, 
which  made  it  necessary  for  the  Independent  manu- 
facturers to  depend  upon  Europe  for  their  raw  mate- 
rial. While  some  of  it  was  up  to  the  standard,  at  least 
fifty  per  cent,  was  of  an  inferior  grade,  so  that  the 
losses  were  tremendous.  The  Independent  manufac- 
turers then  sought  Murdock's  aid  to  secure  for  them 
the  Eastman  stock.  This  he  succeeded  in  doing  after 
a  time,  with  the  aid  of  two  of  his  very  close  friends, 
E.  F.  Albee  and  Colonel  T.  C.  Marceau. 

The  fact  remains,  had  it  not  been  for  Murdock  in 
the  very  beginning,  it  is  doubtful  whether  there  would 
have  been  any  Independent  moving-picture  concerns 
aside  from  the  Bison  output  in  America  to-day.  Since 
the  birth  of  the  Independents,  hundreds  of  new  con- 
cerns have  sprung  up,  and  it  is  a  question  whether 
any  of  them  ever  stopped  to  think  of  the  man  who 
claims  he  made  it  possible  for  them  to  do  business  in 
the  moving-picture  field. 


of    Science 


CHAPTER    III 

Just  two  years  ago  on  May  17th,  four  desks  were 
successively  carried  from  the  elevator  and  placed  in  a 
row  on  the  hardwood  floor  of  the  Lincoln  Building, 
Union  Square,  New  York.  These  desks  were  plain 
and  unpretentious,  but  of  good  solid  oak,  reflecting 
the  solidity  of  their  owners.  These  four  desks  were 
to  be  occupied  by  Carl  Laemmle,  W.  H.  Swanson,  P. 
A.  Powers  and  David  Horsley,  and  it  was  not  long  be- 
fore the  film  world  realized  that  the  new  Universal 
Film  Manufacturing  Company,  conceived  and  brought 
into  existence  by  these  men,  was  a  dominant  factor  in 
the  world  of  motion  pictures.  Avoiding  the  rocks  upon 
which  its  predecessors  had  been  wrecked,  the  Uni- 
versal adopted  as  its  policy  the  largest  individuality  to 
its  constituent  companies,  with  perfect  accord  of  pur- 
pose in  its  relations  to  the  exchangeman  and  the  ex- 
hibitors. 

The  enthusiastic  reception  of  the  Universal  Program 
by  exhibitor  and  patron  alike,  and  the  eagerness  with 
which  its  many  feats  and  features  were  anticipated, 
caused  the  business  to  grow  by  leaps  and  bounds.  The 
space  in  the  Lincoln  Building,  which  had  seemed  am- 


48  Cfte   C&eatre 

pie  on  May  17th,  the  day  the  new  offices  were  opened, 
proved  wholly  inadequate  before  the  summer  of  1912 
was  far  advanced.  With  their  usual  enterprise,  the 
Board  of  Directors  commissioned  a  real  estate  firm  to 
secure  new  premises,  and  the  magnificent  quarters  in 
the  Mecca  Building,  1600  Broadway,  the  Universal's 
present  home,  was  the  result. 

When  the  Universal  first  started,  it  promised  its  pa- 
trons a  program  of  at  least  twenty-one  reels  a  week. 
By  the  introduction  of  some  of  the  biggest  features 
ever  presented  to  the  public,  it  has  increased  its  orig- 
inal program  from  twenty-eight  to  thirty-two  reels  a 
week.  It  has  needed  no  spur  other  than  the  approval 
of  its  patrons  to  accomplish  this  record-breaking 
achievement. 

In  speaking  of  the  removal  of  the  Universal  to  its 
new  offices  uptown,  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  this 
move  shifted  the  center  of  gravity,  so  to  speak,  of  the 
film  industry  in  New  York  City.  In  the  wake  of  the 
Universal  followed  scores  of  allied  and  similar  enter- 
prises, until  the  vicinity  of  Longacre  Square  has  now 
wrested  from  Fourteenth  street  the  title  of  Film  Centre. 

The  present  home  offices  of  the  Universal  occupy 
the  entire  third  floor  of  the  Mecca  Building,  with  fron- 
tage on  Broadway,  Forty-eighth  street  and  Seventh 
avenue,  with  immediate  transportation  by  surface  cars, 
subway  and  elevated  railroads,  making  it  the  most  ac- 
cessible spot  in  the  metropolis.  The  fixtures  and  office 
furniture  are  of  massive  mahogany  and  plate  glass  and 
the  projection  room  is  the  last  word  in  luxurious  splen- 
dor. The  offices  of  the  individual  officers,  the  room 
of  the  Board  of  Directors,  the  quarters  of  the  Univer- 
sal Weekly  and  the  export  and  accounting  depart- 
ments occupy  the  Forty-eighth  street  and  Broadway 


ll 

s  fe- 
w  -a 


of©cience  49 

frontage,  while  the  Seventh  avenue  side  is  devoted  to 
the  scenario  department  and  to  the  Mecca  branch  of 
the  Universal  Film  Exchange  of  New  York.  In  be- 
tween are  located  the  shipping  and  stenographic  de- 
partments, the  telephone  exchange  and  the  reception 
room  for  visitors. 

Not  far  from  the  Mecca  Building,  near  the  corner 
of  Eleventh  avenue  and  Forty-third  street,  are  the 
studios  of  the  popular  Imp  and  Victor  brands  and  the 
Animated  Weekly.  Up  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx, 
at  the  corner  of  Park  and  Wendover  avenues,  the 
Crystal  films  are  made.  Over  in  New  Jersey,  at  Fort 
Lee,  the  studios  of  the  American  Eclair  Company  are 
located,  and  a  little  further  north,  at  Coytesville,  where 
the  Palisades  are  seen  in  their  full  majesty,  is  another 
Universal  studio,  where  Victor  films  are  made. 

Those  men  who  are  now  guiding  the  destiny  of  the 
Universal  and  who  have  been  largely  responsible  for 
its  great  success,  are  Carl  Laemmle,  president;  R.  H. 
Cochrane,  secretary  and  treasurer;  J.  C.  Graham,  gen- 
eral manager;  Joe  Brandt,  assistant  treasurer;  George 
E.  Kann,  assistant  treasurer  and  secretary;  and  Wil- 
liam H.  Swanson,  P.  A.  Powers  and  Waldo  G.  Morse, 
the  last  three  members  of  the  Directors'  Board.  Mr. 
Laemmle  and  Mr.  R.  H.  Cochrane  are  members  of 
the  board. 

At  Universal  City,  in  the  San  Fernando  Valley,  Cal., 
the  only  exclusive  moving-picture  town  in  the  world, 
and  at  the  Hollywood  studios,  California,  the  other 
brands  released  under  the  Universal  Program,  the  "101 
Bison,"  Nestor,  Rex,  Gold  Seal,  Universal  Ike,  Joker, 
the  Powers  and  the  Sterling,  are  created. 

Unsatisfied  with  merely  turning  out  good  photo- 
plays, the  Universal  has  drawn  to  its  ranks  the  great- 


Cfteatre 


est  film  stars  in  the  world.  Commencing  with  such 
well-known  stars  as  Phillips  Smalley,  Lois  Weber, 
Francis  Ford,  Grace  Cunard,  King  Baggot,  Ethel  Gran- 
din,  Robert  Leonard,  Eddie  Lyons,  Lee  Moran,  Ed- 
win August,  William  Clifford  and  William  Shay,  the 
company  soon  brought  over  others  of  equal  note, 
among  them  Florence  Lawrence,  said  to  be  the  most 
famous  and  highest-salaried  female  star  on  the  screen  ; 
J.  Warren  Kerrigan,  acknowledged  to  be  the  most 
handsome  man  on  the  screen;  Augustus  Carney,  the 
original  Western  cowboy  comedian;  Lea  Baird,  Wal- 
lace Reid,  Dorothy  Davenport,  Victoria  Forde,  Edna 
Maison,  Hazel  Buckham,  Marie  Walcamp,  Max  Asher, 
Pauline  Bush,  J.  M.  McQuarrie,  Herbert  Rawlinson, 
Rupert  Julian,  Essie  Fay,  George  Periolat,  Alexander 
Gaden  and  Eugene  Ormonde.  Every  one  of  these  ar- 
tists is  a  favorite,  and  many  of  them  are  internationally 
famous. 

Hardly  a  week  passes  but  that  the  Universal  is  in  a 
position  to  announce  some  coupe  de  maitre  of  suffi- 
cient importance  to  set  the  industry  on  ear.  Either  it 
is  some  striking  innovation  with  respect  to  business 
policy  or  move,  or  the  tying  up  of  one  more  film  star. 
Probably  the  greatest  coup  that  was  accomplished  up 
to  now  was  the  acquisition  in  the  latter  part  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1914,  of  the  quartet  of  comedy  producers,  Ford 
Sterling,  for  a  long  time  the  chief  lodestone  of  the  Mu- 
tual fun-makers  ;  H.  Pathe  Lehrman,  who  was  not  only 
an  able  director  of  Keystone  comedies,  but  the  pro- 
vider of  most  of  the  ideas  introduced  in  the  whirlwind 
burlesques;  Fred  Balshofer,  skilled  as  an  executive 
in  such  matters,  an  official  of  the  New  York  Motion 
Picture  Company,  and  Robert  Thornby,  who  gained 
fame  in  Vitagraph  dramas  and  comedies  and  who  had 


BEN.  F.  WILSON 

(Edison) 


FRANCIS  FORD 

(Universal) 


HARRY  POLLARD 

"  Beauty  Brand  "  American  Films 


WALLACE  REID 

(Universal) 


Celebrities  of  the  Screen 


of    Science 


been  with  the  Keystone  for  several  months  prior  to 
the  change.  The  comedies  in  which  Mr.  Sterling  had 
become  famous  were  the  only  competition  which  had 
annoyed  the  Universal.  That  being  the  case,  the  Uni- 
versal went  out,  paid  the  price  and  secured  not  alone 
Mr.  Sterling,  but  his  companions,  thereby  utterly  dis- 
pelling any  doubts  that  might  have  been  in  the  exhib- 
itors' minds  relative  to  the  Universal's  serious  inten- 
tions of  forging  ahead  and  placing  its  program  on  a 
pinnacle  absolutely  unsurpassed  by  any  other  film 
company  or  of  its  ability  to  secure  the  best  brains,  the 
best  talent  in  the  picture  field. 

A  week  following  this,  the  Universal  secured  Anna 
Little,  foremost  exponent  of  "The  Western  Girl,"  from 
the  New  York  Motion  Picture  Corporation. 

In  the  latter  part  of  March,  President  Carl  Laemmle, 
with  David  Horsley  and  others,  made  a  trip  to  the  Pa- 
cific Coast,  and  among  the  more  important  business 
transacted  was  the  closing  of  negotiations  for  pur- 
chasing a  new  ranch.  Universal  City  will  be  moved 
over  to  this  new  ranch.  One-half  million  dollars  it 
took  to  secure  this  new  home  —  250  acres  in  all  —  located 
in  the  San  Fernando  Valley,  about  ten  miles  from  the 
center  of  Los  Angeles.  The  ranch  lies  on  the  El  Ca- 
mino  Real  (The  King's  Highway),  this  highway  being 
the  original  road  that  connected  the  various  missions 
from  San  Diego  to  San  Francisco.  It  is  half  way  be- 
tween the  missions  of  San  Gabriel  and  San  Fernando, 
about  a  mile  from  the  connecting  electric  line.  Imme- 
diately on  purchasing  the  ranch,  the  Universal  set  to 
work  and  built  a  railroad  to  the  main  line  to  be  used 
for  the  transportation  of  studio  equipment,  building 
material  and  passenger  service.  The  ranch  has  one- 
mile  frontage  on  the  Los  Angeles  River.  This  river 


52 cfte   Cfteatre 

front  is  finely  fringed  with  trees  and  shrubbery,  afford- 
ing excellent  backgrounds  for  pictures. 

Recently  the  Universal  have  commenced  the  pro- 
duction of  big  four-  and  six-reel  features  on  a  lavish 
scale  which  are  to  be  released  on  its  program  as  Uni- 
versal Special  Features.  The  first  feature  under  this 
brand  and  a  sensational  success  was  "Absinthe,"  made 
in  France  by  the  European  Imp  Company.  Others 
that  followed  were  "Samson,"  a  tremendous  six-reeler; 
"The  Merchant  of  Venice,"  "Won  in  the  Clouds," 
"Washington  at  Valley  Forge,"  and  "The  Spy,"  "Rich- 
elieu," and  "Neptune's  Daughter." 

In  connection  with  the  production  of  these  master 
features,  the  Universal  have  commenced  a  national 
campaign  of  advertising  with  an  appropriation  of  a 
quarter  of  a  million  dollars. 

The  Pacific  Coast  studios  of  the  Universal  Film 
Manufacturing  Company  constitute,  from  a  standpoint 
of  film-producing  capacity,  the  largest  assembled  plant 
of  its  kind  in  the  world.  The  year  around  not  less  than 
twenty-one  thousand  feet  of  finished  film  a  week  is 
turned  out  at  this  establishment.  Fifteen  companies, 
each  composed  of  a  director,  assistant  director,  cinema- 
tographer,  actors,  property  men  and  stage  hands,  oper- 
ate continually  at  an  annual  expense  of  over  $1,000,000. 
In  this  expense  is  also  included  the  maintenance  of  a 
scenario  department,  bookkeeping  department,  public- 
ity department  and  costume,  scene-painting,  property, 
laboratory,  and  transportation  departments. 

The  principal  plant  of  the  West  Coast  studios  of  the 
Universal  is  located  in  Hollywood,  a  suburb  of  Los 
Angeles,  California.  At  this  studio  is  located  the  larg- 
est stage  in  the  world.  It  measures  four  hundred  by 
sixty  feet  and  will  accommodate  five  full  regiments  of 


of    Science 53 

infantry  at  one  time.  There  is  sufficient  space  upon  it 
for  the  setting  of  sixteen  full  interior  scenes.  It  is 
covered  by  twenty-four  thousand  square  feet  of  dif- 
fusers,  and  in  the  stage  floor  are  traps,  large  and  small, 
some  of  them  water-tight,  which  are  used  for  the  pro- 
duction of  aquatic  scenes.  In  addition  to  its  accom- 
modations for  actors,  offices  and  laboratories,  the  com- 
pany maintains  a  sawmill,  furniture  shop  and  papier- 
mache  plant.  All  buildings  are  built  with  an  eye  to 
permanence.  The  property  and  costume  building  is  the 
most  up-to-date  structure  of  its  kind  in  the  United 
States. 

Eight  miles  from  the  Hollywood  studios  is  situated 
Universal  City  in  the  San  Fernando  Valley.  It  is  here 
that  spectacular  animal,  Indian,  Western  and  war  pic- 
tures are  produced.  This  Universal  ranch  covers  an 
area  of  eighteen  hundred  acres.  The  collection  of  ani- 
mals here  is  composed  of  elephants,  camels,  horses,  and 
cattle;  lions,  tigers,  leopards,  panthers,  bears,  wolves, 
monkeys,  and  various  breeds  of  dogs. 

Upon  this  property  Hindu  streets  or  Afghan  villages 
with  all  the  local  color  and  life  of  the  Orient,  are  built 
and  destroyed  in  a  day.  On  occasion,  thousands  of 
extra  men  are  employed  here  as  soldiers,  factory  scenes 
are  blown  up  and  hillsides  are  dynamited. 

The  West  Coast  establishment  has  grown  to  its  pres- 
ent proportions  under  the  administration  of  Carl 
Laemmle,  president  of  the  Universal  Film  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  and  under  the  general  direction  of  Man- 
ager Isidore  Bernstein. 

Of  the  motion-picture  companies  distributing  enough 
films  to  constitute  a  prpgram,  no  other  has  had  a  quick- 
er growth  than  the  Mutual  Film  Corporation,  with. 


54  C6e   C&eatre 

main  offices  at  71  West  Twenty-third  street,  New  York 
City. 

Although  it  is  but  a  little  more  than  two  years  old, 
the  Mutual  Film  Corporation  now  has  a  strong  and 
far-reaching  organization  with  more  than  fifty  distrib- 
uting offices  in  the  United  States  and  Canada  and  of- 
fices in  several  of  the  large  cities  in  Great  Britain  and 
on  the  Continent.  This  is  the  concern  which  distrib- 
utes the  output  of  the  following  producing  studios: 
Thanhouser  and  Princess,  of  New  Rochelle ;  American, 
of  Chicago  and  Santa  Barbara,  Cal. ;  Reliance,  of  Yon- 
kers,  New  York  City,  and  Hollywood,  Cal. ;  Komic,  of 
Yonkers;  Majestic,  Kay-Bee,  Broncho  Domino  and 
Apollo,  of  Los  Angeles,  and  the  Keystone,  of  Eden- 
dale,  Cal. 

In  addition,  the  Mutual  Film  Corporation  has  al- 
lied with  it  the  Continental  Feature  Film  Corporation, 
through  which  it  handles  its  big  features,  of  which  it 
has  a  formidable  array.  The  motion  pictures  produced 
under  the  personal  direction  of  David  W.  Griffith, 
known  as  Griffith  films,  will,  many  of  them,  reach  the 
market  through  the  Continental.  The  Reliance  and 
Majestic  special  features  are  also  handled  by  the  Con- 
tinental. 

To-day  the  Mutual  Film  Corporation  is  accomplish- 
ing big  things  in  a  big  way.  Its  policy,  as  dictated 
by  its  president,  H.  E.  Aitken,  has  been  one  of 
steady  advancement  along  solid,  business  lines.  The 
advancement  has  been  as  rapid  as  is  consistent  with 
stability,  and  the  Mutual  has  had  a  more  rapid  growth 
than  would  be  possible  for  a  legitimate  corporation  in 
almost  any  other  field  of  activity.  The  Mutual  first  bus- 
ied itself  securing  an  outlet  for  its  pictures.  It  went 
along  quietly,  without  blare  of  drums,  for  several 


HARRY  E.  AITKEN 

President  Mutual  Film  Corporation. 

Whose  Genius  for  Organization  Has  Resulted  in  the  Amazing  Growth  of  the  Mutual  Film  Corporation 


of    Science 55 

months,  buying  an  exchange  here  one  day  and  one 
there  the  next  day.  At  one  stroke  it  acquired  the  ex- 
tensive Gaumont  exchange  interests  in  Canada.  Soon 
it  had  established  marketing  facilities  able  to  handle 
big  pictures  produced  practically  with  no  regard  for 
expense. 

The  next  step  was  to  strengthen  the  production  end. 
This  was  done  more  quickly  and  decisively  than  ever 
before.  David  W.  Griffith,  formerly  head  producer  for 
the  Biograph  Company  of  America,  "the  Belasco  of 
motion  pictures,"  was  put  in  charge  of  the  producing 
end  of  the  Reliance  studios  at  a  salary  said  to  be  more 
than  $100,000  a  year.  With  him  he  brought  many  of 
the  Biograph  forces,  actresses,  actors,  directors,  cam- 
era men  and  scenic  artists. 

Now  the  Mutual  Film  Corporation  stands  on  a  firm 
basis,  in  the  producing  and  the  marketing  end  of  the 
motion  picture  industry. 

How  the  Mutual  Film  Corporation  attained  its  pres- 
ent prominence  in  so  short  a  space  of  time  is  a  matter 
of  much  interest.  To  tell  of  its  remarkable  growth 
involves  a  short  resume  of  trade  conditions  in  the  mo- 
tion picture  business  for  the  last  few  years.  Inter- 
locked closely  with  the  history  of  the  Mutual  Film 
Corporation  is  the  career  of  its  president  and  guiding 
genius,  Harry  Elvin  Aitken. 

Harry  E.  Aitken,  manufacturer  and  capitalist,  was 
born  at  Waukesha,  Wisconsin,  October  4,  1877,  son 
of  Elvin  Aitken  and  Sarah  Hadfield.  His  earliest 
American  ancestor  was  his  paternal  grandfather,  Jo- 
seph Aitken,  who  came  in  1840  from  England  to  the 
United  States  and  settled  in  Wisconsin. 

Mr.  Aitken  was  graduated  from  Carroll  College  in 
1896  and  began  his  business  career  in  1898  in  the  land 


56  c&e    Cfieatre 


and  colonization  field  in  his  native  State.  His  first  en- 
terprise of  special  note  was  as  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Federal  Life  Insurance  Company,  of  Chicago,  for 
which  he  became  the  agent  for  the  State  of  Wisconsin. 

Mr.  Aitken's  debut  in  the  motion-picture  industry 
came  in  1906,  when  in  connection  with  a  land-selling 
campaign,  he  interested  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railway  Company  in  an  advertising  plan  whereby 
slides  showing  views  of  the  land  were  distributed  to 
motion-picture  theatres. 

At  this  period  the  motion-picture  industry  might 
have  been  correctly  termed  "in  its  infancy."  Mr.  Ait- 
ken's  brief  glance  into  it  revealed  such  remarkable  op- 
portunities that  he  decided  to  stay. 

His  first  step  was  to  open  in  Milwaukee  the  West- 
ern Film  Exchange,  which  is  still  in  existence.  Its 
success  was  so  great  that,  within  two  months,  Mr. 
Aitken  opened  the  Western  Film  Exchange  in  St. 
Louis  and  another  in  Joplin,  Missouri.  His  next  step 
was  to  purchase  the  control  of  the  Crawford  Film  Ex- 
change and  to  acquire  the  exchange  owned  by  George 
Kleine. 

Later  Mr.  Aitken  allied  himself  with  the  Motion 
Picture  Sales  and  Distributing  Company,  now  defunct. 
Then  he  began  his  constructive  work  as  a  motion  pic- 
ture producer.  He  opened  offices  in  London,  New 
York  and  Chicago,  assisted  in  the  formation  of  the 
American  Film  Manufacturing  Company,  purchased 
the  control  of  the  Carlton  Motion  Picture  Laborator- 
ies where  Reliance  films  were  produced,  organized  the 
Majestic  Motion  Picture  Company  and  opened  a  large 
exchange  in  New  York. 

Upon  the  dissolution  of  the  Motion  Picture  Sales 
and  Distributing  Company  Mr.  Aitken  and  others 


NORM  A  PHILLIPS— "OUR  MUTUAL  GIRL" 

District  Attorney  Whitman  and  Deputy  Police  Commissioner  Doherty  in  the  picture 


o  f    S  c  f  e  n  c  e  57 

formed  the  Film  Supply  Company  of  America.  At 
this  time  a  body  of  capitalists,  under  Charles  J.  Kite's 
direction,  purchased  the  Thanhouser  Film  Corporation 
and  became  allied  with  Mr.  Aitken. 

This  proved  the  nucleus  for  the  formation  of  the 
Mutual  Film  Corporation.  Since  that  time  the  growth 
of  the  Mutual  has  been  rapid,  steady  and  secure. 

In  1910  Mr.  Aitken  established  in  London,  England, 
the  Western  Import  Company  which  handles  the  for- 
eign business  of  the  Mutual  Film  Corporation.  He 
put  in  charge  his  younger  brother,  Roy  E.  Aitken. 
This  concern  has  turned  out  to  be  one  of  the  largest 
film  selling  and  distributing  organizations  in  Europe. 
It  has  offices  in  Paris,  Vienna,  Brussels,  London  and 
several  other  cities  of  Great  Britain.  Many  other 
agencies  are  being  established  and  the  firm  is  also 
preparing  to  open  producing  studios  in  Europe, 

In  the  latter  part  of  December,  1913,  Mr.  Aitken 
organized  the  Reliance  Motion  Picture  Company  to 
produce  films  for  the  Mutual  program.  The  new  organ- 
ization took  over  the  Carlton  Motion  Picture  Labor- 
atories, situated  on  the  old  Clara  Morris  estate  on  the 
dividing  line  between  New  York  and  Yonkers;  the 
finely-equipped  studio  and  laboratory  at  Hollywood, 
near  Los  Angeles,  California,  formerly  occupied  by 
the  Kinemacolor  Company  of  America,  and  established 
a  new  producing  studio  in  the  heart  of  New  York,  at 
Sixteenth  Street  and  Broadway,  29  Union  Square 
West,  which  is  the  only  studio  on  Broadway.  Mr. 
Aitken  himself  is  the  president  of  the  Majestic  Com- 
pany and  the  largest  stockholder  and  controlling  fac- 
tor in  that  concern.  He  is  also  an  officer  and  one  of 
the  largest  stockholders  of  the  New  York  Motion  Pic- 
ture Corporation. 


58 Cfte   Cfteatre 

Big  things  are  being  accomplished  by  the  Mutual 
Film  Corporation  in  a  big  way.  One  of  these  is  the 
steady  policy  of  securing  the  best  timber  available  for 
important  positions.  When  the  General  Film  Com- 
pany and  the  Kinetograph  Company  were  both  dis- 
tributing films  made  by  the  manufacturers  allied  with 
the  Motion  Picture  Patents  Company  in  competition 
with  each  other,  Mr.  Aitken  seized  the  opportunity  to 
secure  J.  N.  Naulty  as  his  lieutenant  in  New  York 
City.  Alfred  Weiss  was  secured  to  conduct  the  Mu- 
tual's  New  York  exchanges. 

In  the  producing  end  of  the  industry  the  Mutual 
Film  Corporation  had  allied  with  it  the  foremost  lights 
of  the  industry.  Most  prominent  of  all  is  David  W. 
Griffith,  who  supervises  all  Majestic  and  Reliance  pro- 
ductions and  personally  produces  the  big  features 
known  as  Griffith  films. 

The  two  other  highest  paid  motion-picture  directors 
have  been  with  the  Mutual  Film  Corporation  longer 
than  Mr.  Griffith.  They  are  Thomas  H.  Ince,  Vice- 
President  of  the  New  York  Motion  Picture  Corpora- 
tion, the  man  who  produced  "The  Battle  of  Gettys- 
burg" and  the  spectacular  Kay-Bee  features,  and 
Mack  Sennett,  head  of  the  Keystone  Company,  and 
responsible  for  the  Keystone  comedies.  These  two 
men  receive  from  sixty  to  one  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars a  year  each.  Mr.  Ince  has  quoted  the  last-named 
sum  as  his  annual  income  to  the  writer  as  stated  in 
another  chapter. 

Among  the  actors  and  actresses  the  Mutual  Film 
Corporation  has  retained  the  stars  established  through 
long  association  with  its  allied  producing  firms,  and 
has  also  added  many  stars  from  other  companies. 


of    Science  59 

Among  these  are  several  prominent  players  who  came 
over  with  Griffith  from  the  Biograph. 

In  the  way  of  producing  big  feature  pictures  the 
Mutual  Film  Corporation  is  accomplishing  much. 
These  are  distributed  through  the  Continental  Fea- 
ture Film  Corporation,  and  include  such  subjects  as 
"The  Battle  of  Gettysburg,"  "The  Great  Leap," 
"Sappho,"  "The  Wrath  of  the  Gods,"  "Seeing  South 
America  with  Col.  Roosevelt,"  "The  Escape,"  "The 
Floor  Above,"  and  "Home,  Sweet  Home"  or  "The 
Battle  of  the  Sexes."  Many  other  big  features  pro- 
duced under  the  master-hand  of  D.  W.  Griffith  are 
forthcoming. 

Two  of  the  best  things  done  recently  by  the  Mutual 
are  worthy  of  more  than  passing  note.  On  a  Western 
trip  Mr.  Aitken  took  a  run  down  to  Mexico  and  en- 
gaged Gen.  Francisco  Villa,  the  famous  general,  per- 
sonally to  appear  in  a  serial  moving  picture  of  his  life. 
The  battle  scenes  were  staged  with  especial  care  and 
proved  most  pretentious.  The  other  brain  child  of  Mr. 
Aitken  was  a  plural  reel  feature,  "Home,  Sweet 
Home,"  produced  with  a  cast  of  eighteen  well-known 
photo-play  stars — perhaps  the  greatest  aggregation  of 
well-known  players  ever  seen  in  one  picture.  The 
plot  was  so  constructed  that,  not  only  did  it  tell  an 
interesting  story,  but  gave  each  player  a  chance  to 
interpret  the  type  best  suited  to  his  or  her  ability  and 
in  which  the  player  is  best  liked. 

An  interesting  achievement  of  the  Mutual  Film  Cor- 
poration and  among  the  most  important,  is  the  novel 
weekly  serial,  "Our  Mutual  Girl."  This  picture  was 
heralded  by  a  national  advertising  campaign.  It 
shows  the  adventures  of  a  simple  country  girl,  who 
comes  to  visit  her  aunt  in  the  city.  The  aunt  is  a 


60 Cfre   Cfteatte 

leader  in  New  York  society,  and  the  niece  is  taken 
through  all  the  interesting  spots  in  the  Metropolis 
and  meets  many  prominent  persons,  besides  being 
dressed  in  the  latest  styles  and  indulging  in  the  latest 
fads.  The  pictures  in  this  series  are  put  before  the 
public  at  the  rate  of  one  reel  a  week,  and  proved  pop- 
ular beyond  all  expectation. 

The  Mutual  Film  Corporation  has  impressed  itself 
upon  the  minds  of  all  as  one  of  the  most  alert  and 
progressive  as  well  as  the  fastest  growing  and  most 
stable  among  motion-picture  concerns. 

One  instance  of  its  progressiveness  may  be  cited  in 
its  adopting  the  distinctive  slogan,  "Mutual  Movies 
Make  Time  Fly,"  accompanied  by  its  trade-mark,  a 
winged  clock  dial.  This  slogan  and  this  insignia  are 
well  known  throughout  America,  and  mean  to  all — 
The  Mutual  Film  Corporation. 

The  Kinemacolor  Company  of  America,  operating 
under  the  Urban-Smith  patents,  possesses  the  Ameri- 
can rights  to  the  only  successful  method  of  producing 
natural  color  motion  pictures.  The  films  receive  no 
artificial  coloring  whatever. 

The  films  for  these  natural  color  motion  photo- 
graphs are  taken  and  projected  at  twice  the  rate  of 
"filter,"  and  when  projected  upon  the  screen  for  ex- 
hibition, are  thrown  through  the  same  filter.  Photo- 
graphs are  taken  and  projected  at  twice  the  rate  of 
speed  of  the  original  black  and  white  motion  pictures ; 
thus,  while  the  black  and  white  motion  pictures  pro- 
ject sixteen  pictures  upon  the  screen  every  second, 
or  960  per  minute,  the  natural  color  motion  photo- 
graphs of  the  Kinemacolor  Company  of  America  are 
projected  at  the  rate  of  thirty-two  every  second  or 
1,920  per  minute. 


of    Science 6i 

The  Kinemacolor  motion  pictures  are  actually  rest- 
ful to  the  eye  and  possess  none  of  the  qualities  which 
in  the  black  and  white  often  produce  eye  strain. 

Opticians  state  that  this  is  due  to  two  causes — the 
first  is  the  presence  of  the  natural  colors  in  the  pic- 
tures, and  the  second  is  the  fact  that  the  pictures  are 
thrown  upon  the  screen  at  twice  the  rate  of  the  black 
and  white,  thus  giving  a  much  "steadier"  picture  and 
much  clearer. 

For  a  short  period  of  time  after  its  organization, 
the  Kinemacolor  Company  of  America  devoted  itself 
to  the  production  and  exhibition  of  great  -picturesque 
events  of  current  history,  such  as  the  Durbar,  when 
King  George  of  England  was  crowned  Emperor  of 
India,  and  the  Coronation  ceremonies  in  England.  A 
little  later,  without  abandoning  this  great  field,  the 
Kinemacolor  Company  of  America  entered  upon  the 
reproduction  of  comedies  and  dramas  in  natural  col- 
or motion  photography.  Their  plans  for  this  were  all 
laid  far  in  advance  and  no  public  announcement  of  the 
fact  was  made  until  the  Company  had  on  hand  more 
than  three  hundred  comedies  and  dramas  produced 
by  their  own  companies.  They  now  have  five  com- 
panies who  are  spending  the  winter  in  California, 
where  they  can  get  the  benefit  of  the  almost  constant 
sunshine  so  necessary  for  the  production  of  good  pic- 
tures, and  who  will  spend  their  summer  around  New 
York. 

Only  comparatively  recently  has  the  Kinemacolor 
service  been  extended  to  any  theatres  except  in  a 
few  of  the  very  large  cities,  but  now  branch  offices  are 
being  opened  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  and  a 
service  will  be  given  to  one  theatre  in  each  city  or 
town  large  enough  to  support  a  really  good  theatre. 


62 Cfre    Ctieatte 

The  Kinemacolor  Company  of  America  gives  every 
exhibitor  the  sole  right  to  present  natural  color  pic- 
tures in  his  locality  and  thus,  to  use  a  trade  term,  the 
Kinemacolor  pictures  exhibited  are  all  "first-run 
reels." 

The  agreement  under  which  Warner's  Features, 
Inc.,  was  organized  was  ratified  on  August  1,  1913. 
It  owns  and  operates  its  own  exchanges  in  Philadel- 
phia, Pittsburg,  Kansas  City,  Indianapolis,  Dallas, 
Washington,  San  Francisco,  Los  Angeles,  Chicago, 
Cleveland,  St.  Louis,  Boston,  Buffalo,  Minneapolis, 
New  Orleans,  Seattle,  Denver,  Atlanta,  New  York, 
Detroit,  Cincinnati,  Toronto,  and  Montreal.  The  com- 
pany has  also  an  important  exchange  in  London,  Eng- 
land. 

The  new  Warner's  is  a  solution  of  the  problem  that 
has  been  a  stumbling-block  to  producers.  Many  man- 
ufacturers have  undertaken  and  many  others  have  been 
willing  to  undertake  the  making  of  pictures  of  the 
greatest  proportions  and  value,  but  owing  to  the  pres- 
ent combinations  they  could  not  reach  the  exhibitors 
with  their  output.  On  the  other  hand,  the  exhibi- 
tors have  been  handicapped  in  their  efforts  to  increase 
their  business  by  the  stronghold  in  which  manufac- 
turers who  have  had  exchange  interests  have  en- 
trenched themselves  and  followed  their  own  disposi- 
tion as  regards  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  film 
they  prepared. 

The  new  company's  operations  open  a  new  epoch 
in  the  motion-picture  field.  Exhibitors  will  have  the 
assurance  from  now  on  that  the  American  and  Eu- 
ropean manufacturers  will  vie  with  each  other  in  their 
efforts  to  meet  the  growing  and  exacting  demands  of 
the  patrons  of  moving-picture  playhouses  for  produc- 


of    Science 63 

tions  of  excellence  and  originality.  No  motion-picture 
plays  of  extraordinary  quality  will  be  shelved  by  rea- 
son of  there  not  being  an  opportunity  for  spectators 
to  place  the  stamp  of  their  approval  thereon,  and  se- 
cure for  the  manufacturer  the  returns  he  deserves  for 
his  initiative  and  ability  in  producing  the  kind  of  film 
on  which  the  growth  of  the  patronage  of  the  business 
depends. 

A  number  of  manufacturers  have  been  anxiously 
awaiting  the  opportunity  of  securing  this  outlet,  and 
with  their  co-operation  the  program  handled  by  the 
Warner's  exchanges  equals  any  source  of  supply  now 
available  to  exhibitors,  and  gives  to  manufacturers  the 
opportunity  they  have  sought  of  successful  disposi- 
tion of  the  productions  they  can  make. 

A  program  of  three  three-part  features  is  released 
weekly.  This  is  an  exclusive  service — that  is,  films 
are  not  rented  to  any  two  houses  in  the  same  block, 
or  to  any  two  houses  in  the  same  radius  where  their 
respective  audiences  would  see  the  same  pictures,  and 
consequently  diminish  the  box-office  receipts.  In 
small  towns  films  are  supplied  to  a  single  exhibitor. 

At  present,  there  seems  to  be  a  demand  for  melo- 
dramatic and  sensational  subjects.  There  is  likewise 
a  growing  market  for  films  on  the  educational  order. 
It  is  not  the  policy  of  the  Warner  exchanges  in  the 
various  cities  to  purchase  films.  They  are  branch  of- 
fices of  Warner's  Features,  Inc.,  and  will  rent  to  ex- 
hibitors in  their  territory.  Much  of  the  success  of 
Warner's  Features,  Inc.,  in  building  up  a  genuine  de- 
mand for  feature  production  is  due  to  the  able  lead- 
ership of  Mr.  P.  A.  Powers,  President. 

Hobart  Bosworth,  of  Bosworth  Incorporatedy  had  a 
long  career  as  an  actor  upon  the  dramatic  stage,  dur- 


Cfte    Cfteatte 


ing  which  he  acted  for  ten  years  in  Augustin  Daly's 
company.  After  that  he  was  leading  man  for  some  of 
the  best-known  stars  in  the  country,  including  Mrs. 
Fiske,  Miss  Marlowe  and  Miss  Crosman. 

In  1909,  after  several  years  of  ill  health,  Mr.  Bos- 
worth  adopted  the  profession  of  moving  pictures,  be- 
.  cause  it  offered  him  an  opportunity  to  use  his  dramat- 
ic knowledge  in  the  open  air.  He  has  written  and 
directed  a  large  proportion  of  the  plays  in  which  he 
has  appeared. 

Having  lived  a  life  of  adventure  and  having  been 
an  out-door  man,  even  during  his  theatrical  experi- 
ence, he  felt  a  fitness  to  direct  and  play  a  great  many 
of  the  leads  in  Jack  London's  wonderful  stories  of 
outdoor  life  and  adventure.  And  as  the  situation  in 
the  film  world  seemed  to  trend  toward  the  special  re- 
lease in  feature  form,  Mr.  Bosworth  succeeded  in  in- 
teresting two  Los  Angeles  capitalists,  Frank  A.  Gar- 
butt,  yachtsman,  automobilist,  aeroplanist,  and  H.  T. 
Rudisill  in  securing  the  contract  from  Mr.  London, 
"by  which  all  his  stories,  past,  present  and  to  come, 
are  to  be  put  upon  the  screen  by  them,  feeling  that 
Mr.  London's  tremendous  popularity,  not  only  in 
America,  but  wherever  books  are  read,  would  insure 
the  success  of  the  productions. 

The  remarkable  reception  accorded  the  "Sea  Wolf," 
the  initial  production  of  Bosworth,  Inc.,  has  justified 
them  in  their  belief.  "Martin  Eden,"  "Valley  of  the 
Moon"  and  "John  Barleycorn,"  have  already  been 
made.  "Smoke  Bellew,"  "Burning  Daylight"  and 
"Son  of  the  Wolf"  are  in  preparation. 

Mr.  Bosworth's  plan  of  action  is  not  to  produce  as 
rapidly  as  possible,  but  as  carefully.  He  believes  that 
the  day  for  hurry  and  slipshod  methods  in  moving 


JESSE  L.  LASKY  SAMUEL  GOLDFISH  HARRY  REICHENBACH 

President  Lasky  Feature  Players  General  Manager  and  Treasurer       General  Press  Representative  Jesse 

Co.  Jesse  Lasky  Feature  Film  Co.  Lasky  Co. 


DANIEL  FROHMAN  REHEARSING  JAS.  K.  HACKETT  IN  SCENE  FROM 
"THE  PRISONER  OF  ZENDA" 


of    Science 65 

pictures  is  past.  Every  "stunt"  that  can  be  accom- 
plished by  actor  or  rider,  without  loss  of  life,  has  been 
done  so  often  that  audiences  are  now  bored  by  the 
most  sensational  films.  Nothing  seems  to  be  left  but 
good  stories,  well  acted  and  prepared  with  the  utmost 
faith  to  detail  and  scenic  effect.  In  the  special  case 
of  Mr.  London's  stories,  the  director's  work  is  simpli- 
fied in  that  he  has  only  to  follow  with  utmost  exacti- 
tude the  descriptions  of  the  author,  and,  wherever  pos- 
sible, photograph  the  scenes  upon  the  exact  locations 
described  by  Mr.  London. 

Jesse  L.  Lasky,  long  known  as  a  producer  of  vaude- 
ville classics,  and  a  comparative  newcomer  in  the  field 
of  silent  drama,  has  leaped  to  the  front  as  a  creator 
of  big  features,  by  reason  of  the  plan  of  the  Jesse  L. 
Lasky  Feature  Play  Company,  which,  in  its  prelimi- 
nary announcement,  gave  out  the  statement  that  it 
had  already  contracted  for  sufficient  material  to  keep 
the  entire  firm  busy  for  three  years. 

The  Jesse  L.  Lasky  Feature  Play  Company,  com- 
posed of  Jesse  L.  Lasky,  Cecil  B.  De  Mille  and  Sam- 
uel Goldfish,  will  make  twelve  big  productions  the 
first  year,  the  initial  feature  being  "The  Squaw 
Man"  with  Dustin  Farnum.  Following  this,  Edmund 
Breese  in  "The  Master  Mind"  and  Edward  Abeles  in 
"Brewster's  Millions"  were  released. 

Each  production  will  require  a  month  for  the  mak- 
ing, and  exhibitors  look  forward  to  the  Lasky  output 
as  the  supreme  effort  in  the  film  world. 

Mr.  Lasky  will  personally  supervise  the  making  of 
all  films  and  Cecil  B.  De  Mille  will  have  charge  of  the 
direction  and  staging  of  the  productions. 

Samuel  Goldfish,  a  business  man  of  no  little  repute, 
will  look  after  the  executive  end  of  the  Lasky  affairs. 


66 Cfte    Cfteatte 

Mr.  Lasky,  if  he  is  to  be  measured  by  his  past  ef- 
forts, should  stand  at  the  head  of  the  motion-picture 
field.  His  variety  acts  are  the  classics  of  their  field, 
and  his  magnificent  "Folies  Bergere,"  the  most  sump- 
tuous of  all  amusement  creations,  is  yet  fresh  in  the 
memory  of  local  playgoers.  It  was  Jesse  Lasky  who 
introduced  the  Cabaret  into  America.  A  dozen  other 
innovations  can  be  laid  to  the  fertile  mind  of  this  ar- 
tistic producer. 

The  Jesse  L.  Lasky  Feature  Play  Company  is  lo- 
cated in  the  Long  Acre  Theatre.  Samuel  Goldfish, 
General  Manager,  is  in  complete  charge.  Harry 
Reichenbach,  for  years  with  Henry  B.  Harris  and 
John  Cort,  will  have  charge  of  the  publicity,  and  each 
Lasky  Feature  will  receive  nation-wide  publicizing. 
The  Lasky  Company,  with  studios  at  Hollywood,  Cal- 
ifornia, numbers  one  hundred  and  fifty  persons.  On 
going  to  press  the  Lasky  Company  announced  that  it 
has  secured  the  film  rights  for  David  Belasco's  plays. 

"To  present  photo-plays  as  elaborate  scenically  and 
as  perfect  in  histrionism  as  the  finest  attractions  along 
Broadway  is  the  task  I  have  cut  out  for  myself/'  de- 
clared Daniel  V.  Arthur  in  the  course  of  a  conversa- 
tion with  the  writer,  at  his  offices  in  the  Lyric  The- 
atre Building.  As  Mr.  Arthur  has  for  many  seasons 
been  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  astute  and  pro- 
gressive theatrical  managers  in  both  the  field  of  drama 
and  of  opera,  his  announced  excursion  into  the  realm 
of  motion-picture  production  is  being  watched  with  a 
great  deal  of  interest,  and  his  novel  and  ambitious 
plans  are  arousing  much  discussion  and  enthusiasm. 

"There  is  no  reason,"  continued  Mr.  Arthur,  with 
the  same  energy  demonstrated  in  his  manner  of  speech 
as  has  always  marked  his  achievements  on  Broadway, 


of    Science 67 

"why  motion  pictures  should  not  become  the  most  uni- 
versal and  artistic  form  of  dramatic  entertainment,  as 
well  as  the  most  popular. 

"As  conditions  are  to-day  the  influence  of  the  first- 
class  theatres  in  this  country  is  tremendously  restrict- 
ed. Even  the  hugest  successes  in  New  York — the 
plays  that  run  one  or  two  years — can  be  taken  only  to 
the  largest  cities  in  the  country.  And  even  then  the 
inhabitants  of  large  communities  outside  of  New  York 
and  Chicago  witness  much  cheapened  presentations  by 
inferior  companies,  while  the  great  bulk  of  the  people 
of  the  country — the  thousands  who  live  in  country 
places  and  in  villages — cannot  see  these  plays  because 
of  the  basic  necessity  for  an  opera  house. 

"The  motion  picture,  though,  can  invade  the  small- 
est communities,  even  the  most  secluded  districts.  Of 
course,  many  fine  films  have  been  produced,  both  in 
this  country  and  abroad,  but  no  motion-picture  pro- 
ducer yet  has  ever  given  to  motion  pictures  the  same 
expert  attention  and  lavish,  intelligent  expenditures 
that  characterize  play  production  in  the  $2  theatres. 
Most  motion-picture  actors  have  been  recruited  out- 
side the  members  of  the  profession  who  have  won  their 
laurels  in  the  high-class  theatres.  Occasionally  some 
"star"  has  been  induced  to  appear  in  a  film,  but  the 
supporting  companies  have  never  been  made  up  of 
recognized  Broadway  favorites. 

"The  reversal  of  this  system  is  to  be  my  first  inno- 
vation. Not  only  do  I  intend  heading  the  cast  of 
every  one  of  my  photoplay  productions  with  one  or 
more  stars  of  the  utmost  eminence,  but  every  single 
player  who  appears  in  my  pictures,  even  though  more 
than  300  are  utilized  in  a  single  production,  will  be 


68 Cfte    Cfteatte 

recruited  from  the  ranks  of  the  best  players  regularly 
appearing  in  Broadway  theatres. 

"It  is  useless  to  deny  that  a  special  aptitude  is  neces- 
sary for  film  interpretation,  and  a  certain  amount  of 
experience  as  well,  no  matter  how  gifted  a  player  may 
be  upon  the  legitimate  stage.  So,  wherever  I  find  a 
worthy  actor  or  actress,  one  who  has  a  fine  following 
upon  Broadway,  I  intend  making  a  fine  motion-picture 
actor  or  actress  out  of  them.  To  this  end  I  am  going 
to  found  a  preparatory  school,  where  special  instruc- 
tion will  be  accorded  gratis  to  all  those  actors  who 
I  believe  would  be  "great  cards"  in  photoplays,  but 
who  I  feel  are  in  need  first  of  a  special  course  setting 
before  them  the  initial  requisites  of  film  enactment. 

"My  second  important  innovation  will  be  in  the  mat- 
ter of  stagecraft.  Instead  of  methods  so  generally  em- 
ployed in  film  productions,  I  intend  to  provide  even 
more  elaborate  and  spectacular  productions  than  have 
ever  been  presented  on  the  stage,  for  the  whole  wide 
world  will  be  my  stage,  and  I  intend  to  spare  neither 
expense  nor  trouble  to  provide  the  most  novel  and  au- 
thentic settings  procurable.  The  interior  settings  will 
all  be  photographed  in  the  large  and  fully  equipped 
studio  which  we  control  in  Yonkers,  but  the  exterior 
pictures  will  be  taken  wherever  on  the  globe  the  most 
satisfactory  scenes  can  be  found.  If  necessary,  I  will 
send  my  artist  and  camera  experts  twice  around  the 
earth  to  procure  the  material  for  a  single  play. 

"I  am  going  to  make  it  possible  to  transport  Broad- 
way to  the  most  remote  hamlets  in  the  United  States. 
It  is  my  firm  desire  to  make  the  entire  nation  acquaint- 
ed with  the  finest  plays  that  have  ever  been  produced 
upon  Broadway.  Scarcely  one  person  in  one  hundred 


of    ©tie nee  69 

thousand  can  ever  see  the  best  actors  in  the  best 
Broadway  productions.  I  am  going  to  send,  by  means 
of  miles  and  miles  of  films,  the  greatest  actors  in  the 
world  in  the  greatest  plays  ever  written  into  every 
nook  and  corner  of  the  country,  no  matter  how  distant 
or  remote  or  small." 

The  large  order  which  Mr.  Arthur  has  outlined  for 
himself  is  placed  on  record  in  this  volume,  and  it 
remains  for  history  to  establish  the  fulfilment. 

During  his  career  Mr.  Arthur  has  managed  the  star- 
ring tours  of  Stuart  Robson,  DeWolf  Hopper,  Digby 
Bell,  Marie  Cahill,  Kelsey  and  Shannon,  Bessie  Abbot, 
Weedon  Grossmith  and  Grace  Van  Studdiford. 

The  All-Star  Feature  Corporation  is  composed  as 
follows : 

President — Harry  R.  Raver,  Secretary  and  Treas- 
urer Exclusive  Supply  Corporation,  Secretary  and 
Treasurer  Itala  Film  Company  of  America,  Secretary 
and  Treasurer  Grand  Circuit  Features. 

Vice-President — Archibald  Selwyn,  Treasurer  Amer- 
ican Play  Company,  President  Selwyn  &  Co.,  Theatri- 
cal producer. 

Treasurer — Philip  Klein,  Treasurer  American  Photo- 
play Company  and  theatrical  producer,  Assistant 
Treasurer  Authors'  Producing  Company. 

Secretary — George  J.  Cooke,  President  Metropolitan 
Lithograph  Company. 

Director-General — Augustus  Thomas,  Playwright 
and  Dramatist. 

The  company  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  and 
production  of  the  motion  picture  of  the  higher  type — 
the  presentation  of  Broadway  theatrical  successes  in 
which  are  featured  prominent  theatrical  stars.  Pictures 


Cfteatte 


of  four,  five,  and  six  reels  only  are  made,  comprising  a 
full  evening  entertainment  in  themselves. 

The  corporation  was  organized  in  August,  1913,  and 
has  already  completed  the  following  productions  :  Au- 
gustus Thomas'  "Arizona,"  with  Cyril  Scott  in  the 
leading  role,  supported  by  Gail  Kane  and  a  prominent 
cast.  It  is  in  six  parts.  Henry  M.  Blossom,  Jr.'s 
"Checkers,"  in  five  parts,  with  Thomas  W.  Ross  in 
the  part  he  originated.  Richard  Harding  Davis'  "Sol- 
diers of  Fortune,"  with  Dustin  Farnum  in  the  lead,  in 
six  reels.  Eugene  Walter's  "Paid  in  Full,"  with  Tully 
Marshall,  Riley  Hatch  and  a  Broadway  cast,  in  five 
parts.  Augustus  Thomas'  "In  Mizzoura,"  featuring 
Burr  Mclntosh.  Augustus  Thomas'  dramatization  of 
Charles  Dana  Gibson's  famous  series  of  drawings, 
"The  Education  of  Mr.  Pipp,"  in  which  Digby  Bell 
plays  the  lead.  Edgar  Selwyn's  adaptation  of  Sir  Gil- 
bert Parker's  "Pierre  of  the  Plains,"  in  which  Mr.  Sel- 
wyn  appears  in  the  lead. 

In  preparation  or  for  production  at  a  later  date  are: 
Upton  Sinclair's  powerful  story,  "The  Jungle,"  in 
which  Mr.  Sinclair  himself  will  play  the  prologue. 
James  A.  Herne's  past  success,  "Shore  Acres."  Geo. 
Bronson  Howard's  "An  Enemy  of  Society."  "The 
Traveling  Salesman"  and  "The  Chorus  Lady,"  by 
James  Forbes.  Robert  W.  Chambers'  many  books  of 
fiction.  "Within  the  Law,"  the  tremendous  theatrical 
hit,  and  all  of  Augustus  Thomas'  successes. 

Every  production  made  by  the  All-Star  Feature  Cor- 
poration is  produced  under  the  personal  direction  of 
Augustus  Thomas,  who  is  actively  associated  with  the 
company. 

It  is  the  plan  of  the  company,  before  long,  to  en- 


AUGUSTUS  THOMAS 

One  of  the  first  playwrights  of  the  speaking  stage  to  produce  for  the  screen.    Head  of  the 
All  Star  Film  Co. 


of    Science TI 

gage  famed  and  qualified  playwrights  for  the  writing 
of  original  photoplays. 

This  last  statement  is,  indeed,  important.  Augustus 
Thomas  will  grasp,  as  few  producers  can,  the  full  range 
of  picture-play  productions.  That  he  will  ultimately 
discard  the  one-time  stage  successes  and  approach  the 
vital  task  of  the  new  era,  which  will  follow  the  ex- 
haustion of  stage  material,  is  an  announcement  of  great 
significance. 

Much  has  been  written,  more  has  been  said,  about 
educational  films.  Like  a  cherry,  the  subject  has  been 
nibbled  at,  a  little  bit  here,  and  a  little  bit  there,  but 
nothing  of  a  concrete,  practical  nature  was  really  at- 
tempted, in  the  United  States  at  least,  until  the  Co- 
lonial Motion  Picture  Corporation  took  hold  of  the 
problem  in  a  business-like  manner.  This  corporation 
numbers  in  its  ranks  such  well  known  men  as: 

James  D.  Law,  President  American  Artography 
Company,  President  Colonial  Motion  Picture  Corpor- 
ation. 

Hudson  Maxim,  Inventor  of  "Maximite,"  and  other 
U.  S.  Government  explosives,  Consulting  Engineer  and 
Experimental  Expert  for  E.  I.  duPont  de  Nemours 
Powder  Company,  who  acts  as  Technical  Expert  for 
Colonial  Motion  Picture  Corporation. 

Sir  Gilbert  Parker,  Member  of  the  British  Parlia- 
ment, Novelist,  Director  of  the  Colonial  Foreign  De- 
partment. 

Duff  C.  Law,  Expert  Cinematographer,  Inventor 
and  Technical  Director  of  the  Colonial  Motion  Picture 
Corporation. 

John  D.  Dunlop,  of  Dunlop  Brothers,  Silk  Manufac- 
turers, New  York. 


72 Cfte   Cfteatre 

Roland  Phillips,  Editor  of  Cosmopolitan  Magazine, 
New  York. 

Rich  G.  Hollaman,  President  of  the  famous  Eden 
Musee,  Pioneer  Exhibitor  of  Motion  Pictures  in  Amer- 
ica, President  of  Grand  Central  Palace,  New  York. 

Proctor  W.  Hansl,  President  of  Seth  Moyle,  Inc., 
Publishers,  New  York. 

Alfred  H.  Saunders,  formerly  Editor  of  both  Mo- 
tion Picture  News  and  Motion  Picture  World,  Man- 
ager of  the  Colonial  Educational  Department. 

Mr.  James  D.  Law,  the  President  of  the  corporation, 
is  known  nationally  and  internationally  as  an  author 
and  business  man,  and  is  co-inventor  with  his  son, 
Duff  C.  Law,  of  many  improvements  in  motion  pic- 
ture machines  and  apparatus,  including  sound  synchro- 
nizing. They,  together,  have  also  invented  a  process 
of  color  photography,  controlled  by  the  Colonial  Mo- 
tion Picture  Corporation,  so  simple  and  yet  so  accu- 
rate that  they  can  show  motion  photography  in  all 
the  colors  of  nature,  correctly,  completely  and  econom- 
ically, without  the  aid  of  complicated  machinery,  and 
giving  pictures  of  extraordinary  brilliancy. 

Mr.  Alfred  H.  Saunders  has  been  a  pioneer  in  the 
educational  field  during  the  past  fifteen  years.  He  has 
organized  the  educational  department  of  the  Colonial 
Motion  Picture  Corporation,  by  obtaining  specialists 
from  every  university  and  college  throughout  the  land, 
who  will  act  in  the  capacity  of  Advisory  Directors  for 
the  purpose  of  producing  educational  films,  in  the  true 
sense  of  the  word.  These  will  be  largely  scientific  and 
industrial  features,  comprising  the  whole  range  of 
studies  from  the  simplest  to  the  most  complex  sub- 
jects. 

Thousands  of  subjects  are  already  available  under 


of    Science 


the  above  heads,  and  it  is  the  purpose  of  the  Colonial 
Motion  Picture  Corporation  to  increase  these  with  the 
assistance  of  the  various  professors  of  teaching  who 
will  allow  their  negatives  to  be  utilized  for  the  spread 
of  education  through  every  branch.  Mr.  Rich  G.  Hol- 
laman  is  allied  with  Mr.  Alfred  H.  Saunders  in  this 
work. 

This  branch  of  the  Colonial,  while  important,  will 
not,  however,  absorb  the  whole  of  its  activities.  In 
line  with  their  principle  of  having  only  the  better  kind 
of  motion  pictures,  the  corporation  has  secured  the 
motion-picture  rights  to  the  best  known  literary  works 
of  many  famous  authors,  including  the  following  : 

Sir  Gilbert  Parker,  author  of  "The  Right  of  Way," 
"The  Battle  of  the  Strong,"  "The  Seats  of  the  Mighty." 

George  Randolph  Chester,  author  of  "Get-Rich- 
Quick  Wallingford,"  etc. 

Rupert  Hughes,  author  of  "Excuse  Me,"  "The  Old 
Nest,"  "Miss  318." 

Gouverneur  Morris,  author  of  "The  Claws  of  the 
Tiger,"  "The  Penalty." 

James  Oppenheim,  author  of  "Dr.  Rast,"  "Idle 
Wives." 

Frederic  Arnold  Kummer  author  of  "The  Brute" 
"The  Other  Woman." 

Mrs.  Wilson  Woodrow  author  of  "Sally  Salt,"  "The 
Silver  Butterfly." 

Mabel  Herbert  Urner,  author  of  "The  Journal  of  a 
Neglected  Wife,"  "Their  Married  Life." 

George  Bronson  Howard,  author  of  "Snobs,"  "The 
Double  Cross,"  "Broadway  to  Paris." 

"Larry"  Evans,  author  of  "Once  to  Every  Man,"  etc. 

John  Fleming  Wilson,  author  of  "The  Man  Who 
Came  Back,"  etc. 


Cfte    Cfteatte 


Cosmo  Hamilton,  author  of  "The  Blindness  of  Vir- 
tue," "The  Door  That  Has  No  Key." 

Sir  Gilbert  Parker's  "Seats  of  the  Mighty"  will  be 
the  first  picture  filmed  by  the  corporation.  This  pro- 
duction is  to  be  followed  by  an  elaborate  dramatiza- 
tion of  Booth  Tarkington's  "Gentleman  from  Indiana," 
and  by  other  productions  of  equal  importance.  With 
the  finest  photography,  acting,  scenery  and  scenarios, 
added  to  the  prestige  of  famous  names  and  productions, 
it  is  confidently  believed  that  the  Colonial  Motion  Pic- 
ture Corporation  will  set  up  a  new  standard  of  cinema- 
tography, producing  films  that  will  not  be  here  to-day 
and  gone  to-morrow,  but  real  works  of  art,  literary 
subjects  and  technical  masterpieces  that  will  entertain 
and  educate  young  and  old  as  has  never  before  been 
attempted,  far  less  accomplished.  In  the  words  of 
President  James  D.  Law,  "There  is  room  in  every  city 
and  hamlet  for  a  high-grade  moving-picture  hall  or 
theatre  where  only  the  better  kind  of  motion  pictures 
will  be  shown,  and  can  be  shown  on  a  financial,  self- 
supporting  and  even  dividend-paying  basis."  To  help 
in  this  good  work,  and  enable  others  to  profit  with 
them,  is  the  aim  of  the  officers  and  management  of 
the  Colonial  Motion  Picture  Corporation. 

When  the  World  Film  Corporation  announced  their 
advent  into  the  feature  end  of  the  motion-picture  busi- 
ness,* they  said  they  would  handle  nothing  but  what 
they  considered  the  best  of  the  world's  output  of  both 
the  European  and  American  manufacturer.  Up  to  the 
present  time  they  have  fully  lived  up  to  their  promise. 
Hundreds  of  films  have  been  offered  them  for  exploi- 
tation, the  vast  majority  of  which  they  refused  as  not 


*  In  June,  1914,  The  World  Film  Company  became  allied  with  the 
Shubert  Theatrical  Company  for  the  purpose  of  filming  all  of  the  stage 
successes  of  the  latter. 


JOAN  OF  ARC  ON  TRIAL  FOR  HER  LIFE— "JOAN  OF  ARC— THE  MAID 
OF  ORLEANS" 

Produced  by  Savoia  Film  Co.,  Turin,  Italy,  in  five  parts 


IN  THE  PRESENCE  OF  CONSTANTINE— THE  TRIUMPH  OF  AN  EMPEROR 

"In  Hoc  Signo  Vinces"  (By  this  sign  you  will  conquer).    Five  parts 


of    @>c fence  75 

being  up  to  the  standard.  In  order  to  carry  out  this 
policy  they  realized  that  they  would  have  to  be  in  a 
position  to  market  their  films  all  over  the  United 
States.  In  order  to  accomplish  this  purpose,  they  have 
already  opened  twenty  offices  extending  from  New 
York  to  Minneapolis  in  the  North;  New  Orleans  in 
the  South,  and  Kansas  City  in  the  West,  and  they  an- 
ticipate having  a  half-dozen  more  offices  open,  extend- 
ing out  to  the  Coast  by  the  first  of  March.  In  order 
to  reach  the  high  standard  they  have  set  for  them- 
selves, they  have  gathered  about  them  a  force  which 
they  consider  the  best  engaged  in  the  business.  The 
question  of  salary  has  never  entered  into  the  prop^ 
osition.  Their  motto  has  been :  Get  the  man — no  mat- 
ter what  the  cost.  Every  man  connected  with  the  or- 
ganization is  ranked  among  the  potential  factors  in 
the  business.  The  motion-picture  exhibitor  has  trav- 
eled along  the  same  lines  in  business  for  several  years, 
reaping  the  harvest  of  a  few  dollars,  but  never  giving 
thought  to  the  morrow,  but  the  patrons  of  the  motion 
pictures  are  demanding  more  and  more  of  the  exhibi- 
tor and  the  motion-picture  manufacturer.  It  stands  to 
reason  that  no  firm  can  make  pictures  all  of  which 
are  always  good.  As  a  result,  an  exhibitor  who  is  tied 
up  with  a  regular  service,  no  matter  whose  service  it 
is,  has  to  take  the  bad  with  the  good.  Whereas  the 
output  of  the  feature  men  handing  out  a  regular  serv- 
ice is  limited  to  a  dozen  manufacturers,  the  World  Film 
Corporation  has  the  pick  of  hundreds.  They  are  ab- 
solutely unlimited  in  scope,  both  of  manufacturer  and 
subjects.  Nothing  is  too  big  or  too  small  for  them  to 
exploit,  provided  it  meets  the  approval  of  the  concern. 
As  witness,  Pasquali's  "The  Last  Days  of  Pompeii," 
"John  of  Arc,"  "The  Triumph  of  an  Emperor." 


76  Cfte    Cfteatre 

The  unvarying  standard  of  excellence  which  has 
marked  the  products  of  the  Great  Northern  Film  Com- 
pany, ever  since  its  advent  into  the  field  of  cinemato- 
graphy eight  years  ago,  has  placed  it  in  an  enviable 
position  in  the  fore  rank  of  manufacturers  who  regard 
quality  as  an  asset  precious  enough  to  be  safeguarded. 
It  was  the  Great  Northern  Company  that  first  intro- 
duced the  multiple-reel  subjects  in  this  country,  and 
from  this  beginning  sprang  the  feature  of  to-day  with 
its  still-growing  possibilities  for  the  future.  Having 
been  the  pioneers  in  this  productive  field  of  the  motion- 
picture  industry,  the  Great  Northern  Company,  quite 
logically,  has  made  it  its  aim  to  hold  its  progressive 
stride.  The  result  has  been  a  succession  of  remark- 
able photoplay  productions  that  have  been  acclaimed 
by  reason  of  the  distinguished  personnel  of  the  players, 
the  wise  selection  of  subjects  and  photography  which 
has  set  a  standard  in  cinematography. 

From  the  first  multiple-reel  subject  presented,  the  re- 
sult has  been  a  succession  of  productions  out  of  the 
ordinary.  The  forthcoming  presentation  of  "Atlantis," 
adapted  from  Gerhardt  Hauptmann's  novel  of  the  same 
name,  is  calculated  to  establish  a  new  record  by  reason 
of  its  magnitude.  The  product  of  the  Great  Northern 
Company  is  manufactured  in  Copenhagen,  Denmark, 
where  five  studios  and  an  extensive  plant  are  kept  in 
constant  service,  supplying  the  world-wide  demand  for 
multiple-reel  productions,  absorbing  photoplays,  com- 
edies and  scenic  subjects.  The  principal  actors  and 
actresses  have  been  engaged  from  the  Royal  Theatre 
of  Copenhagen,  as  well  as  from  other  European  cen- 
tres of  dramatic  art.  The  natural  scenery  in  the  sub- 
urbs and  the  country  surrounding  the  quaint  Danish 
capital,  together  with  the  rare  atmospheric  conditions, 


of    Science 77 

supply  all  that  could  possibly  be  wished  for  in  the 
production  of  these  sterling  films.  Mr.  Ingvald  C.  Oes, 
the  General  Manager  of  the  Great  Northern  Company 
ever  since  the  New  York  office  was  established,  al- 
though comparatively  young  in  years,  is  a  veteran  in 
the  film  business  and  has  earned  an  enviable  reputation 
as  a  progressive. 


78  Cfte    Cfteatte 


CHAPTER   IV 

Long  before  the  vogue  of  the  moving  picture  had 
reached  the  photoplay  stage  of  its  amazing  evolution, 
"Pop"  John  Ince  passed  on,  little  dreaming  that  his 
three  sons  who  had  already  passed  through  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  a  precarious  stage  era  would  become  famous 
and  prosperous  in  a  field  where  the  father's  teachings 
was  their  greatest  asset. 

Those  who  know  their  Broadway  of  a  generation  ago 
will  recall  how  John  Ince  was  wont  to  promenade 
along  the  Rialto  with  his  children,  all  of  whom  were  lit- 
erally born  in  the  atmosphere  of  the  theatre.  Though 
one  of  the  most  capable  comedians  of  his  time,  the  elder 
Ince,  throughout  his  long  and  honorable  career,  failed 
to  score  the  one-compelling  "hit"  that  would  have  en- 
riched him.  Instead,  he  became  noted  as  the  best  ex- 
ponent of  the  Chinaman  in  the  country.  Often  Ince 
starred  in  his  Chinese  creations,  but  he  always  seemed 
to  escape  the  good-fortune  meted  out  to  many  less 
worthy  stars.  For  a  long  time  he  starred  jointly  with 
Minnie  Palmer  in  "Our  Boarding  School,"  but  the 
greater  portion  of  his  career  was  spent  "jobbing,"  until, 
weary  of  the  "road,"  and  undoubtedly  wishing  to  bet- 


STUDIO,  SANTA  MONICA,  OR  INCEVILLE 

(New  York  Motion  Picture  Co.) 


AN  AUTOMOBILE  SMASHED  JUST  FOR  ONE  SCENE  AT  A  COST  OF  $500 
(New  York  Motion  Picture  Co.) 

Where  Thomas  Ince  Holds  Sway  and  Earns  Every  Penny  of  His  Six-figure  Salary 


of    Science 


ter  prepare  for  the  future  of  his  children,  he  established 
next  door  to  the  Broadway  Theatre  an  agency  and  a 
school  of  acting,  and  it  was  here  that  the  now-cele- 
brated Ince  brothers  learned  the  technic  of  the  stage. 
Their  schooling  was  of  that  kind  difficult  to  obtain  in 
modern  times.  All  three  boys  began  stage  careers  as 
infants,  and  the  manner  in  which  the  eldest  (Thomas) 
entered  the  moving-picture  field  is  interesting  enough 
to  justify  the  author  in  presenting  here  a  description  of 
how  a  struggling  actor  in  a  few  years  became  one  of 
the  vital  factors  of  a  great  industry.  The  history  of 
the  theatre  from  its  inception  to  this  day  will  reveal 
no  more  amazing  rise  to  fame  and  fortune  than  that 
of  "Pop"  Ince's  oldest  son. 

Like  most  actors  in  the  older  field,  Thomas  H.  Ince 
found  that  after  eighteen  years  of  toil  and  untold  hard- 
ships, during  which  unpaid  salaries  and  "tie  walking" 
were  often  recorded  in  his  diary,  his  varied  experiences 
had  availed  him  nothing.  His  last  engagement  was  in 
one  of  the  cheapest  vaudeville  circuits,  and  from  this 
he  landed  in  New  York  one  day  without  enough  money 
to  pay  for  a  room  for  himself,  wife  and  baby.  While 
making  a  round  of  the  agencies,  Thomas  came  in  con- 
tact with  an  actor  who  had  formerly  played  a  small 
part  in  one  of  his  companies,  and  was  informed  by 
the  latter  that  he  had  found  a  permanent  berth  as  a 
producer  of  motion  pictures.  Ince  argued  that  if  a 
"hanger-on"  could  secure  a  directorship  in  this  field, 
he,  himself,  was  wasting  his  time  acting.  Finally  this 
director  offered  Ince  the  usual  $5  a  day  to  enroll  for  a 
"try-out."  Making  good,  the  management  asked  Ince 
to  remain,  which  the  latter  agreed  to,  provided  he 
would  be  granted  the  first  opportunity  in  the  directing 
line. 


C6e    Cfteatre 


The  opportunity  came  quickly  enough,  and  at  a 
weekly  honorarium  of  $60,  for  which  Ince  was,  indeed, 
grateful.  In  two  weeks  one  of  the  directors  quit  and 
Ince  was  placed  in  full  charge  of  the  studio.  The  film 
company  was  not  one  of  the  best  grade,  and  Ince  real- 
ized he  was  working  for  a  lot  of  ex-clothing  dealers 
who  knew  nothing  of  its  artistic  side;  not  one  of  the 
heads  could  speak  English,  so  after  a  year  of  hard  work 
with  a  little  money  saved,  Ince  left  the  studio  and  went 
to  Los  Angeles,  where  he  obtained  another  engagement 
at  double  his  previous  salary.  It  happened  that  one 
day  Miller  Brothers'  "101"  Ranch  Show  was  exhibiting 
in  the  city,  and  Ince  sought  out  Charles  O.  Baumann, 
President  of  the  New  York  Motion  Picture  Company, 
suggesting  that  Mr.  Baumann's  film  company  engage 
the  entire  "101"  outfit  for  a  series  of  big  western  pic- 
tures, with  real  Indians,  cowboys,  horses,  etc.  Bau- 
mann, who  is  credited  with  being  a  real  showman,  im- 
mediately entered  into  the  project,  with  a  final  result 
wholly  constructive  and  immensely  profitable. 

Ince,  now  in  absolute  authority,  revealed  himself 
as  a  prodigious  worker.  It  was  yet  a  primitive  period 
in  film  development,  and  he  had  to  write  his  own  scen- 
arios, direct  the  productions  and  "hustle  props."  The 
actors  had  to  dress  in  tents.  One  little  stage  and  some 
"near-scenery"  provided  the  environment,  for  the  firm, 
now  so  wealthy,  had  none  too  much  money  after  this 
investment,  and  as  they  had  practically  no  experienced 
actors,  it  was  necessary  for  Ince  to  make  leading  men 
and  women  out  of  cowboys  and  cowgirls.  They  must 
have  had  the  spark  of  genius,  for  not  a  few  made  more 
than  good,  while  one  lady,  especially,  who  began  under 
Ince  in  those  days,  has  become  one  of  the  real  stars  of 
the  screen. 


of    Science  si 

After  six  months  of  notable  achievement,  Ince  ob- 
served that  the  different  factions  in  the  film  world  were 
fighting  among  themselves.  As  he  himself  put  it,  "when 
thieves  fall  out,  honest  men  come  into  their  own."  Both 
sides  wanted  the  man  who  had  shown  a  remarkable 
genius  as  a  director.  That  Ince  also  was  not  lacking 
in  business  acumen  is  best  indicated  by  the  arrange- 
ments he  entered  into  during  the  aforesaid  warfare. 
Instead  of  a  salary,  Ince  was  given  a  50  per  cent,  in- 
terest in  the  company,  and  was  elected  Vice-President 
and  General  Manager.  Now  he  has  under  his  direction 
close  to  400  persons.  The  company  controls  20,000 
acres  of  land  leased  for  motion-picture  purposes,  and  he 
now  directs  his  operations  from  the  filmtown  known  as 
Inceville-by-the-Sea,  in  Santa  Monica  Canyon,  Cali- 
fornia. 

Here  is  turned  out  every  week  10,000  feet  of  finished 
product.  The  pay  roll  is  $15,000  a  week.  They  have 
their  own  electric  light  plant,  private  telephone  sys- 
tem, raise  their  own  cattle  and  have  a  fine  truck  gar- 
den— an  industrial  village,  in  fact. 

Ince  has  started  to  make  the  big  features  he  has  been 
dreaming  about  for  a  long  time  and  has  incorporated 
a  company  in  which  his  own  name  alone  is  featured. 
Thus  we  have,  as  far  as  it  has  developed,  the  career  of 
a  man  who  began  directing  photoplays  at  a  weekly 
salary  of  $60.  Mr.  Ince  reluctantly  admits  that  his 
annual  income  is  now  close  to  $100,000.  I  quote  him 
here  verbatim: 

"I  am  afraid,  Mr.  Grau,  you  will  think  this  is  rather 
inflated.  Perhaps  you  had  better  not  publish  the  fig- 
ures. I  tried  to  answer  your  question  truthfully. 

"I  think  my  rapid  rise  should  provide  incentive  for 
others.  There  will  always  be  great  opportunities  for 


Cfte    Cfteatte 


directors.  There  is  much  to  learn,  however,  as  the  art 
is  vastly  different  from  the  stage,  and  a  director  should 
have  knowledge  of  photography  to  obtain  the  best  re- 
sults. Opportunities  like  mine  do  not  come  to  one 
every  day,  but  big  salaries  will  always  be  paid  to  di- 
rectors, and  that,  too,  fifty-two  weeks  in  the  year." 

I  am  tempted  here  to  extemporize  on  the  favorite  ex- 
pression of  Mrs.  General  Gilfroy,  in  that  delicious  sat- 
ire of  other  days,  "The  Mighty  Dollar,"  viz.,  "Shades 
of  'Pop'  Ince,  look  down  upon  us." 

Of  Mary  Fuller*  there  is  little  to  be  written  at  this 
time,  for  here  we  have  the  photoplayer  whose  per- 
sonality and  achievements  are  as  familiar  to  the  gen- 
eral public  as  to  the  writer.  Perhaps  the  most  interest- 
ing phase  of  her  film  career  is  the  manner  in  which 
the  Edison  star  has  held  aloof  from  all  efforts  to  induce 
her  appearance  in  the  vaudeville  theatres,  despite  that 
in  one  instance  a  contract  was  offered  to  her  which 
called  for  a  four-figure  weekly  honorarium. 

It  is  not  in  the  province  of  the  writer  to  attempt  to 
review  the  many  portrayals  of  a  Mary  Fuller  or  a  Marc 
McDermott  ;  therefore,  if  less  is  written  here  anent  their 
varied  achievements  than  of  other  players  less  cele- 
brated, this  is  solely  due  to  the  fact  that  their  fame  has 
required  magazine  and  newspaper  writers  to  recite 
practically  every  phase  of  their  artistic  and  personal 
careers. 

But  of  Mr.  McDermott  I  cannot  be  certain  that  he 
has  been  fully  credited  with  the  part  he  has  played  in 
delving  into  the  classics  of  literature  and  perpetuating 
on  the  screen  the  all-compelling  genius  of  the  world's 
greatest  poets. 

I  have  sat  in  a  playhouse  more  than  once,  when  for 


*  She  leaves  the  Edison  Company  in  July,   1914,  to  join  the  Universal. 


*  I 

SI 


of    Science 


twenty  minutes  this  great  silent  actor  would  be  de- 
picted on  the  screen  sitting  in  a  chair  with  a  book  in 
his  hand,  moving  scarcely  a  muscle,  yet  through  sheer 
facial  expression  and  utter  repression  of  theatrical  ef- 
fects, the  art  of  McDermott  held  an  audience,  none  too 
intellectual,  as  spellbound  as  one  may  possibly  hope  to 
achieve  even  in  these  days  of  wondrous  science,  and 
this,  too,  without  an  ally  save  the  intermittent  flash- 
ing of  a  line  from  the  immortal  verse  of  a  Tennyson  on 
the  screen. 

Perhaps  Mr.  McDermott  may  achieve  world-wide  re- 
nown as  a  result  of  such  productions  as  "The  Man  Who 
Disappeared,"  but  it  is  not  a  reflection  on  Richard 
Watson  Childs'  literary  effort  to  cherish  the  hope  that 
a  true  artist  like  McDermott  may  be  utilized  less  for 
thrillers  wherein  he  may  easily  be  replaced  and  his 
artistry  preserved  for  that  vital  era  of  the  picture  play 
when  such  as  he  alone  can  establish  what  the  new  art 
really  stands  for. 

New  wonders  of  the  film  studio  are  being  revealed 
so  persistently  that  even  the  miracles  of  long  standing 
are  often  overlooked.  I  have  often  heard  men  high 
in  authority  on  the  artistic  side  of  the  theatre  express 
themselves  in  terms  like  this: 

"It  is  all  very  well  to  boast  about  the  young  players 
who  come  before  the  camera  without  stage  experience 
and  quickly  achieve  fame  and  fortune  as  well  as  lead- 
ing stellar  positions,  but  how  much  of  this  is  due  to 
the  director? 

"You  do  not,  however,  gaze  upon  the  spectacle  of 
a  director  of  photoplays  who  has  'made  good'  who  has 
not  had  stage  experience  and  plenty  of  it,  at  that." 

For  a  long  period  I  was  much  impressed  with  the 
truisms  of  these  expressions,  but  research,  such  as  the 


84: Cfte   Cfteatte 

present  volume  has  necessitated,  has  cast  such  theo- 
ries to  the  winds.  Elsewhere  in  the  volume  the  career 
of  Lawrence  Trimble,  expert  author  and  producer  of 
photoplays,  is  fully  described.  Mr.  Trimble  came  to  the 
Vitagraph  studio  to  prepare  a  series  of  articles  for  a 
magazine  and  remained  there  for  years  without  ac- 
complishing his  task.  Instead  he  became  a  celebrated 
director  and  is  now  turning  out  photoplays  in  which 
Florence  Turner  is  featured.  Mr.  Trimble  never  was 
connected  with  the  theatre  in  any  capacity. 

And  now  comes  before  me  the  unusual  achievement 
of  George  W.  Terwilliger,  whom  I  recall  on  the  edi- 
torial staff  of  the  "Dramatic  Mirror"  and  who  after- 
ward started  the  "Morning  Telegraph's"  motion  pic- 
ture department  under  the  pen  name  of  Gordon  Trent. 
While  on  the  "Telegraph"  Terwilliger  wrote  scenarios 
between  issues,  as  the  paper  was  published  on  Sun- 
days only.  These  he  sold  to  the  Biograph  Company 
and  they  were  good  enough  to  be  directed  by  that 
master  of  picture  craft,  D.  W.  Griffith. 

From  there  he  joined  the  Reliance  Company  as  sce- 
nario editor,  also  writing  one  story  a  week.  Later 
Terwilliger  saw  a  chance  to  better  himself  with  the 
Lubin  Company.  Here  he  turned  out  two  plots  a 
week,  but  one  day  he  approached  General  Manager 
Lowry.  Terwilliger  said  to  the  Lubin  business  head: 
"I  don't  believe  it  requires  an  actor  or  even  a  stage 
manager  to  produce  a  photoplay.  Give  me  a  chance 
and  I  think  I  can  prove  it." 

Lowry,  from  what  I  have  heard  of  him  from  men 
who  are  in  a  position  to  know  whereof  they  speak,  is 
a  man  who  believes  that  the  motion-picture  art  is  yet 
to  find  its  greatest  geniuses.  That  these  may  not  be 
discovered  until  the  idea  now  prevailing  as  to  stage 


of    Science 85 

experience  being  absolutely  essential  is  proved  a  fal- 
lacy. 

"Anyhow"  (as  Bobby  Gaylor  would  say)  Lowry 
did  give  Terwilliger  a  chance,  and  the  best  proof  of  his 
capacity  is  the  fact  that  his  second  production  was 
"The  Cry  of  the  Blood,"  a  three-reel  masterpiece, 
written  as  well  as  directed  by  the  man  who  never  was 
connected  with  the  theatre  save  as  a  writer  or,  rather, 
as  a  critic  of  distinctively  professional  publications. 

I  believe  that  given  a  man  of  a  high  order  of  intel- 
lect who  has  an  intimate  knowledge  of  photography 
and  who  is  gifted  with  an  ability  to  "think  in  pictures" 
he  will  prove  a  greater  asset  to  the  film  producer  a 
year  from  now  (if  not  much  sooner)  than  the  stage 
manager  who  comes  to  the  studio  with  no  other  Qualifi- 
cation than  his  stage  experience. 

Wilfred  North,  a  Vitagraph  director,  while  a  long 
time  associated  with  the  stage,  does  not  believe  his 
stage  knowledge  has  been  the  greater  asset  in  direct- 
ing photoplays.  Says  Mr.  North:  "The  director  must 
see  with  the  eye  of  the  camera."  And  the  day  may 
be  near  when  moving-picture  productions  (not  photo- 
plays) are  directed  by  the  world's  greatest  minds 
wholly  independent  of  the  art  of  acting,  and  there  are 
now  men  directing  in  the  studios  who  are  so  well  pre- 
pared for  that  day  that  they  will  welcome  it.  Mr. 
Griffith's  remarkable  success  has  resulted  from  his 
fearless  and  revolutionary  methods.  But  for  him  the 
day  of  reckoning  for  the  new  art  would  not  be  so  near. 

Realizing  that  the  two  questions  were  as  vital  as  any 
he  could  ask,  the  author  put  these  up  to  the  famous 
director,  D.  W.  Griffith,  and  this  recognized  authority 
on  the  photoplay  responded  thusly: 

"You  ask  me :  'Do  you  think  the  stage  and  its  craft 


86  C8e   Cfteatte 

are  the  best  means  of  productivity  for  the  camera 
man?'  No,  I  do  not.  The  stage  is  a  development  of 
centuries,  based  on  certain  fixed  conditions  and  within 
prescribed  limits.  It  is  needless  to  point  out  what 
these  are.  The  motion  picture,  although  a  growth  of 
only  a  few  years,  is  boundless  in  its  scope,  and  endless 
in  its  possibilities.  The  whole  world  is  its  stage,  and 
time  without  end  its  limitations.  In  the  use  of  speech 
alone  is  it  at  a  disadvantage,  but  the  other  advantages 
of  the  motion  picture  over  the  stage  are  so  numerous 
and  powerful  that  we  can  well  afford  to  grant  the  stage 
this  one  point  of  superiority.  The  conditions  of  the 
two  arts  being  so  different,  it  follows  that  the  require- 
ments are  equally  dissimilar.  Stage  craft  and  stage 
people  are  out  of  place  in  the  intense  realism  of  mo- 
tion-picture expression,  but  it  may  well  be  that  a  little 
motion-picture  realism  would  be  of  immense  advantage 
to  the  stage. 

"To  your  second  question,  'After  the  plays  of  other 
days  are  exhausted,  who  will  supply  the  needs  of  thirty 
thousand  theatres?'  I  would  refer  you  to  the  opinion 
expressed  in  the  foregoing  paragraph.  The  plays  of 
other  days  are  not  essential  to  the  motion  picture,  and 
I  am  not  sure  that  they  are  not  proving  a  positive 
harm.  If  motion-picture  producers  had  no  access  to 
stage  plays,  they  would  be  obliged  to  depend  upon  their 
own  authors  for  their  material,  and,  since  the  picture 
dramas  that  would  thus  result  would  be  composed  en- 
tirely for  picture  production,  they  could  not  fail  to 
much  more  nearly  reach  a  perfection  of  art  than  could 
ever  be  hoped  for  while  writers  and  directors  are  try- 
ing in  vain  to  twist  stage  dramas  into  condition  for 
picture  use.  When  the  plays  of  other  days,  and  of 
these  days  are  exhausted,  as  they  will  be,  motion  pic- 


of    Science 


tures  will  come  into  their  own.  They  are  valued  now 
only  for  advertising  purposes,  and,  when  a  stage  play 
is  reproduced  in  pictures  with  any  success,  it  is  inevit- 
ably found  that  often  the  plot  and  always  the  manner 
of  treatment  have  been  entirely  departed  from. 

"D.  W.  GRIFFITH." 

The  receipt  of  Mr.  Griffith's  letter  coming  as  it  did 
just  as  this  volume  goes  to  press,  indicates  that  the 
present  writer  is  supported  in  his  theories  —  theories  he 
has  given  expression  to  in  magazines  and  in  the  public 
press  —  by  men  who  have  helped  to  make  the  motion- 
picture  art  what  it  is  to-day.  And  if  such  authorities 
as  Mr.  Griffith  are  correct  in  their  viewpoint,  the  pres- 
ent stage  movement  in  filmdom  will  be  followed  by  the 
vital  era  of  the  new  art  itself. 

The  photoplay  depicting  criminal  life  in  various 
phases  is  about  as  widely  discussed  by  writers  in  the 
press  and  magazines  as  any  subject  the  camera  man 
has  embraced,  yet  the  consensus  of  opinion  indicates 
that  censorship  such  as  now  obtains  in  this  country 
is  wholly  inadequate  to  exercise  any  control  of  the 
widely  varied  outlets  through  which  the  crime  photo- 
play may  have  "got  by." 

Even  where  censorship  is  most  rigid  the  productions 
of  objectionable  plays  dealing  with  crime  and  viola- 
tions of  law  and  order  are  not  less  prolific  than  in  those 
sections  of  the  country  where  the  control  is  vested  in 
leagues,  created  in  recent  years  by  representative  bod- 
ies of  state  exhibitors,  who  have  banded  together  for 
uplift  of  the  industry  which  has  endowed  their  mem- 
bers with  a  lucrative  occupation. 

The  writer,  wishing  to  present  in  the  current  volume 
the  views  of  some  one  experienced  in  criminal  proced- 


88 C6e   Cfteatte 

ure,  yet  who  has  also  some  knowledge  of  the  motion- 
picture  art  and  its  influence  to  prevent  or  even  to  create 
criminal  tendencies,  approached  William  J.  Burns,  the 
celebrated  detective.  I  had  considerable  difficulty  to 
impress  this  gentleman  with  the  idea  that  he  might  ex- 
press himself  beneficially.  Mr.  Burns  has,  himself,  ap- 
peared in  moving  pictures  and  is  fairly  familiar  with 
the  technical  side  of  film  making,  and  I  thought  that 
because  of  this  fact  he  must  have  some  decided  views 
on  the  power  for  good  or  evil — or  both — possessed  by 
the  authors,  directors,  players  and  producers  individ- 
ually and  collectively.  Said  Mr.  Burns : 

"I  would  say  the  motion-pictures'  possibilities  for 
good  are  unlimited.  The  mental  attitude  of  the  aver- 
age spectator  at  a  photoplay  house  is  receptive  in  seek- 
ing what  might  be  called  a  deviation  from  mental  or 
physical  strain.  The  brain  craves  for  'something  dif- 
ferent/ but  the  action  must  divert  the  mind  to  new 
thoughts. 

"I  am  sorry  to  say,"  Mr.  Burns  continued,  "that  in 
many  instances  the  motion-picture  people  accept  and 
produce  narratives  and  plots  which  are  so  transparent 
in  character,  void  of  possibility  or  actual  occurrence, 
that  they  really  detract  from  the  good  that  is  seemingly 
sought  to  accomplish.  This  I  have  noticed  when  the 
film  is  one  depicting  the  commission  of  crime.  The 
ease  and  alacrity  with  which  the  crime  is  apparently 
committed  requires  so  little  effort  that  a  person  with 
criminal  tendencies  would  drink  in  the  situation  with 
such  a  ravenous  appetite,  owing  to  the  receptive  con- 
dition of  the  mind,  that  the  desire  to  simulate  the  star 
character  could  not  be  resisted,  and  almost  before  he 
would  be  aware  of  it,  would  have  embarked  upon  a 
career  of  crime." 


t>f    Science 89 

Mr.  Burns  also  pointed  out  that  films  showing  the 
successful  evasion  of  capture  and  escapes  from  prison 
are  presented  with  the  idea  of  emphasizing  the  genius 
of  the  criminal  in  this  respect,  and  the  effect  on  the 
spectator  criminally  inclined,  but  not  yet  wholly  lost, 
is  most  destructive. 

Mr.  Burns  believes  in  censorship  provided  a  high 
order  of  intelligence  shall  characterize  the  make-up  of 
such  a  board,  and  he  seemed  to  think  that  this  was 
needed  solely  because  of  the  advent  of  so  many  pro- 
ducers attracted  by  the  lure  of  quick  profits,  and  in 
this  view  the  great  detective  is  so  correct  that  it  is 
hoped  that  the  established  film  concerns  will  them- 
selves agitate  some  system  of  control  that  will  prevent 
film  production  from  reaching  the  level  that  once  was 
a  notorious  feature  of  stage  offerings  before  discipline 
and  rectitude  were  established  through  organization. 

&  .£,  ef, 

The  photoplay  author  of  the  grade  to  qualify  for 
the  future  needs  of  the  producers  is  none  too  plentiful. 
In  truth,  the  best  writers  are  now  firmly  intrenched  in 
the  studios  on  large  guarantees  as  to  salary.  The  heads 
of  the  larger  film  companies  are  looking  ahead,  too- 
taking  advantage  of  the  overflux  of  stage  plays  adapted 
to  the  screen  to  prepare  for  the  day  when  this  source 
of  supply  will  be  exhausted  or  perhaps  unwelcome. 

Up  to  a  year  or  two  ago,  the  free-lance  photoplay- 
wright  was  welcomed,  at  least  to  the  extent  that  it 
was  hoped  a  new  genius  would  come  forth  to  be  imme- 
diately "signed  up"  for  one  of  the  studios  for  its  sce- 
nario department.  Practically  all  of  the  prolific  photo- 
play authors  who  have  many  produced  and  released 
successes  to  their  credit  are  now  either  on  the  salaried 


90  CJje    Cfteatre 

staffs  of  the  large  producers  or  else  have  arrangements 
to  write  exclusively  for  these.  Moreover,  despite  the 
known  fact  that  hundreds  of  men  and  women  without 
previous  experience  as  writers  have  succeeded  in  sell- 
ing scenarios,  nevertheless  such  authors  as  have  made 
their  impress  emphatic  and  enduring  nearly  all  hail 
from  the  field  of  the  theatre  or  from  the  editorial  sanc- 
tum. 

This  is  so  true  that  one  may  not  find,  save  in  some 
rare  instance,  an  established  writer  of  photoplays  de- 
voting himself  entirely  to  scenario  work,  unless  under 
contract  to  the  producers.  Even  such  prolific  authors 
of  photoplays  as  Epes  Winthrop  Sargent,  Roy  S.  Mac- 
Cardell,  Captain  Charles  Keiner,  and  Russell  E.  Smith 
are  actively  engaged  in  other  fields.  All  are  experi- 
enced writers  of  fiction  for  magazines  and  newspapers. 

The  distinctly  theatrical  writer  has  achieved  promi- 
nence as  a  photoplaywright,  and  more  than  one  erst- 
while writer  for  the  publications  devoted  to  the  stage 
and  its  people  has  qualified  as  director  also.  As  stated 
elsewhere  in  the  volume,  the  "Dramatic  Mirror"  has 
sent  from  its  editorial  staff  to  the  film  studio  such  now 
well-known  authors  of  photoplays  as  Frank  Woods, 
Calder  Johnstone,  and  George  W.  Terwilliger  (the  lat- 
ter is  also  a  director). 

Bannister  Merwin,  Captain  Leslie  Peacocke,  Mark 
Swan,  Charles  M.  Seay,  Emmett  Campbell  Hall,  Larry 
Trimble,  George  F.  Hennessy,  E.  Boudinot  Stock- 
ton, W.  A.  Tremayne,  Lawrence  S.  McCloskey,  and  a 
dozen  other  representative  photoplaywrights  have  all 
written  for  the  stage  or  for  the  magazines,  and  it  must 
not  be  forgotten  that  about  one-half  of  the  scenarios 
of  the  established  film  companies  are  prepared  by  the 
photoplayers  themselves. 


of    Science 


Mary  Fuller,  Gertrude  McCoy  and  Bessie  Learn,  all 
with  the  Edison  Company,  are  experienced  writers  of 
photoplays,  and  nearly  all  of  the  Edison  male  players, 
such  as  have  been  with  that  company  several  years, 
add  to  their  income  materially  through  an  ability  ta 
turn  out  compelling  scenarios.  While  in  the  Vitagraph 
Company  no  week  goes  by  that  at  least  two  of  the  re- 
leases do  not  reveal  the  names  of  Vitagraph  players 
as  authors.  At  least  twenty  members  of  the  acting 
forces  write  photoplays. 

All  of  the  ladies  holding  important  positions  in  the 
scenario  departments  of  the  big  studios  were  able  fic- 
tion writers  before  entering  filmdom.  Elizabeth  V. 
Breuil,  Marguerite  Bertsch,  F.  Marion  Brandon,  and 
Louella  Parsons,  the  first  two  with  the  Vitagraph,  the 
last  two  with  Eclair  and  Essanay  respectively,  were  ac- 
cepted story  writers,  who  quickly  grasped  the  technic 
of  the  photoplay  and  became  in  short  order  practically 
the  most  important  executives  in  the  studios,  occupy- 
ing the  same  position  and  holding  the  same  authority 
as  the  editor-in-chief  of  the  story  magazine. 

Monte  Katterjohn,  who  was  one  of  the  first  to  write 
photoplays  for  the  Vitagraph  Company,  and  who  has 
retired  from  a  long  service  to  the  Universal  Company 
as  its  scenario  editor,  was  and  still  is  a  prolific  contrib- 
utor to  the  best  magazines.  Mr.  Katterjohn's  success 
in  the  last  few  years  is  the  best  illustration  of  the  type 
of  author  to  find  in  the  present  vogue  of  photoplays  a 
profitable  vocation,  and  it  is  such  as  he  that  will  come 
forth  with  renewed  vigor  and  with  a  far  greater  finan- 
cial reward  when  the  producers  are  confronted  with  a 
demand  from  30,000  photoplayhouses  for  something 
more  vital  and  original  than  picturized  versions  of  more 


92  Cfte    Cfteatte 

or  less  successful  stage  plays.  Mr.  Katterjohn  is  only 
twenty-three  years  of  age. 

Although  Bannister  Merwin  has  not  written  for  the 
stage  up  to  now,  this  author,  at  present  with  the  Lon- 
don Film  Company  as  its  artistic  head,  has  had  his 
hands  full  to  supply  the  scenarios  for  producers  here 
and  abroad,  yet  it  is  known  that  he  is  working  on  a 
fairy  tale  to  be  presented  as  a  spectacle  in  a  London 
playhouse  early  in  1915,  and  if  one  may  judge  from 
the  outcome  of  Captain  Leslie  Peacocke's  "Neptune's 
Daughter,"  originally  conceived  and  prepared  for  a 
stage  production,  and  yet  to  be  produced  as  such,  it 
will  not  be  surprising  if  the  Bannister  Merwins  and 
Leslie  Peacockes  figure  conspicuously  in  stage  produc- 
tivity a  year  or  two  hence. 

As  Mr.  Blackton  so  clearly  indicates  in  his  contrib- 
uted article  in  the  present  volume,  the  great  need  of 
to-morrow,  aside  from  what  he  so  aptly  calls  the  "life 
portrayal,"  is  original  multiple-reel  photoplays  con- 
ceived and  written  by  the  world's  greatest  fiction  au- 
thors, who  will  embrace  their  task  now  with  an  abun- 
dance of  confidence — with  an  assured  financial  reward 
not  possible  as  recently  as  two  years  ago,  and  with  but 
one  obligation  on  their  part,  namely,  that  they  under- 
take their  task  with  the  screen  alone  in  mind. 

The  writer  is  penning  these  lines  at  the  end  of  May, 
1914,  when  progress  and  expansion  is  assuming  such  a 
pace  in  filmdom  that  the  problem  as  to  what  will  de- 
velop before  this  volume  is  off  the  press  has  entailed 
no  little  temptation  to  resort  to  prophecy.  However, 
more  than  one  authoritative  prediction  has  come  from 
the  big  studios  to  the  effect  that  long  before  the  year 
1914  has  run  its  course  the  very  last  of  the  "stars"  of 


of    Science 


literature  will  have  capitulated  to  the  lure  of  the  new 
art. 

Not  all  of  the  most  desired  acquisitions  from  the  lit- 
erary calling  will  come  forth  solely  from  great  financial 
incentive.  If  this  were  the  only  aim  the  sensational 
success  artistically  and  financially  attending  the  screen 
efforts  of  Rex  Beach,  Harold  MacGrath,  and  a  half 
dozen  of  their  colleagues  famous  as  fiction  writers, 
would  sufHce  to  induce  a  veritable  stampede  of  the 
studios  by  authors  of  world-wide  fame. 

But  there  is  looming  on  the  motion-picture  horizon 
the  natural  aftermath  of  the  astonishing  success  of  the 
serial  photoplay  first  introduced  by  the  Edison  Com- 
pany with  the  "Mary"  series  and  followed  later  with 
the  sensationally  successful  "Kathlyn"  series,  both  con- 
ceived by  famous  fiction  writers  and  the  last  named 
creating  an  almost  general  affiliation  between  the  film 
producer  and  the  magazine  and  newspaper  publishers. 

The  price  paid  to  Harold  MacGrath  for  the  manu- 
script of  the  twenty-seven-reel  production  of  "Kath- 
lyn," presented  in  thirteen  instalments,  is  said  to  have 
been  $12,000,  while  his  contract  for  another  serial  pho- 
toplay, entitled  "The  Million-Dollar  Mystery,"  pro- 
duced late  in  June,  1914,  by  the  Thanhouser  Film  Co., 
of  New  Rochelle,  calls  for  a  much  larger  compensa- 
tion, and  the  magnitude  of  this  serial  production  may 
best  be  imagined  when  it  is  stated  that  a  $10,000  prize 
is  to  be  awarded  for  the  best  solution  of  the  mystery 
in  100  words. 

The  combination  of  Harold  MacGrath  and  Lloyd 
Lonergan  (artistic  head  of  the  Thanhouser  Company) 
is  one  that  may  well  attract  attention,  for  here  we  have 
two  magazine  writers  who  have  already  proved  that 


94  Cfte   Cfjeatre 

their  genius  lends  readily  to  the  constructive  side  of 
the  motion-picture  art. 

Bannister  Merwin  is  a  name  that  has  been  displayed 
on  the  screen  long  before  the  present  custom  of  credit- 
ing photoplaywrights  with  their  achievements,  and  the 
day  is  near  when  such  as  he  alone  will  provide  scen- 
arios. When  the  present  vogue  of  stage  adaptations 
ends,  the  real  photoplay  author  will  come  into  his  own. 
Mr.  Merwin  has  written  many  Edison  successes.  His 
best  photoplays  follow:  "Home,  a  Thanksgiving 
Story,"  "While  John  Bolt  Slept,"  "A  Concerto  for  the 
Violin,"  written  in  collaboration  with  Mrs.  Merwin; 
"The  Sunset  Gun,"  "The  Antique  Brooch,"  "Her  Royal 
Highness,"  "The  Dean's  Daughters,"  and  "All  for  His 
Sake."  Mr.  Merwin  is  now  in  London,  preparing  for 
forthcoming  productions  with  the  London  Film  Com- 
pany of  "The  Menace,"  and  "Child  O'  My  Heart." 

It  will  be  interesting  to  watch  the  efforts  of  such 
authors  as  Bannister  Merwin,  who  have  never  written 
for  the  stage,  but  who  represent,  in  the  writer's  opin- 
ion, the  future  ammunition  of  the  film  producer. 

Emmett  Campbell  Hall  is  noteworthy  not  only  be- 
cause of  his  eminent  position  as  a  photoplaywright — - 
a  position  which  enables  him  to  command  a  salary 
considerably  better  than  that  received  by  a  cabinet 
officer — but  because  he  is  probably  the  only  author 
who,  having  already  attained  success  in  the  field  of 
general  literature,  had  the  foresight  and  courage  to 
devote  himself  exclusively  to  the  new  art  of  photoplay 
writing,  and  this  at  a  time  when  thirty  dollars  was 
regarded  as  a  good  price  for  a  scenario.  Events  have 
fully  justified  his  faith  in  the  future  of  the  motion- 
picture  play,  however,  in  the  development  of  which 
he  has  been  no  inconsiderable  factor.  Mr.  Hall's  man- 


of    Science 95 

uscripts  are  in  the  most  comprehensive  sense  photo- 
plays, and  not  mere  outlines  or  scenarios.  More  than 
four  hundred  of  his  stories  have  been  released,  almost 
all  of  the  first-class  studios  having  participated  in  their 
production.  More  recently,  however,  he  has  contrib- 
uted exclusively  to  the  Lubin  Company,  the  high  dram- 
atic and  literary  standard  of  whose  releases  has  be- 
come famous.  Mr.  Hall's  great  value  lies  not  so  much 
in  a  large  output,  but  in  the  quality  of  his  material, 
and  the  fact,  unusual  even  among  the  most  successful 
writers,  that  he  can  be  absolutely  depended  upon  to 
produce  the  highest  quality  photoplays  at  fixed  inter- 
vals. 

Roy  L.  McCardell,  author  and  newspaper  writer, 
first  became  identified  with  moving  pictures  in  April, 
1899. 

Mr.  McCardell  had  suggested  the  colored  comic  sup- 
plement to  the  "New  York  World"  in  1893,  and  in 
1896  left  "Puck"  to  start  the  first  publication  of  this 
kind  with  Morell  Goddard,  then  Sunday  editor  of  the 
"World."  It  was  Mr.  McCardell  who  first  brought  the 
work  of  R.  F.  Outcault  to  the  attention  of  Mr.  God- 
dard, and  together  these  three  are  responsible  for  the 
getting  up,  illustrating  and  issuing  of  the  first  colored 
comic  section  issued  with  any  Sunday  newspaper. 
This  was  for  the  "New  York  World,"  in  November, 
1896.  Mr.  Outcault,  one  of  the  trio,  afterward  became 
famous  through  his  "Yellow  Kid"  and  "Buster  Brown" 
comic  supplement  pictorial  series.  Mr.  Outcault,  by 
the  way,  is  also  now  interested  in  moving  pictures, 
and  so  is  Mr.  Goddard,  through  his  association  with 
the  Hearst  publications  and  the  Hearst  affiliations  with 
the  new  science. 

Meeting  H.  N.  Marvin,  the  Vice-President  of  the  Bi- 


Cfte   Cfreatte 


ograph  Company,  in  April,  1899,  Mr.  McCardell  was 
offered  the  position  of  scenario  writer  for  the  Bio- 
graph  and  Mutoscope  —  the  latter  the  familiar  penny- 
in-the-slot  moving-picture  machine.  During  his  stay 
with  the  Biograph  Company,  Mr.  McCardell  originated 
some  three  hundred  moving  pictures.  Here  he  also 
formed  business  and  social  relations  with  many  men 
subsequently  famous  in  moving  pictures  —  Messrs. 
Marvin,  Long,  Marion,  McCutcheon,  and,  later  on, 
Rock,  Smith,  and  Blackton  of  the  Vitagraph,  and  Ed- 
win Porter,  then  of  Edison  and  now  of  the  Famous 
Players.  After  a  year's  pleasant  association  with  the 
practical  side  of  moving-picture  taking  with  the  Bio- 
graph  Company,  Mr.  McCardell  returned  to  newspa- 
per work  for  the  "World,"  creating  his  famous 
"Jarr  Family"  series  and  other  newspaper  features. 
He  still  retained  his  connection  with  moving  pictures 
as  a  free-lance  scenario  writer,  and  has  been  steadily 
identified  with  the  progress  and  growth  of  the  new 
science.  Altogether,  he  has  given,  at  this  writing,  over 
eight  hundred  picture  stories  to  the  screen. 

Marc  Edmund  Jones,  one  of  the  few  photoplay  au- 
thors who  make  that  their  sole  vocation,  is  a  compara- 
tively new  arrival  in  the  literary  field.  He  was  born 
in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  October  1,  1888,  and  was  brought  up 
and  educated  in  Chicago,  111.  In  1908  he  left  school 
and  started  to  work  for  the  Pullman  Company,  work- 
ing up  to  the  position  of  storekeeper.  In  1911  he  re- 
signed to  become  associated  in  the  management  of  a 
small  company  in  Santa  Barbara,  Cal.,  and  remained 
there  until  1912,  when  he  returned  to  Chicago  and  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Western  Electric  Company. 
He  resigned  from  this  company  in  January,  1913,  to 
devote  his  entire  time  to  writing  moving-picture  plays. 


PATHE  FACTORY  AT  BOUND  BROOK,  N.  J. 


PATHE  STUDIO,  JERSEY   CITY 
Where  "  The  Perils  of  Pauline "  was  Filmed  and  Rehearsed 


of    Science 97 

He  wrote  his  first  photoplay  in  October,  1911,  and 
followed  this  with  three  more;  but  all  four  were  re- 
jected promptly.  At  a  later  date,  he  was  persuaded  to 
submit  one  of  the  four  a  second  time,  and  this  led  to 
his  first  sale  (Essanay).  But  his  next  efforts  were  all 
rejected,  and  he  lost  interest  again.  Some  six  months 
later  he  visited  a  moving-picture  plant  for  the  first 
time,  and  this  resulted  in  the  fatal  attack  of  the  photo- 
play-writing fever.  He  started  to  work  in  earnest  in 
July,  1912. 

He  has  been  prominently  identified  from  the  start 
with  the  different  movements  for  the  benefit  of  the 
photoplay  author.  When  it  was  suggested  that  "get- 
together"  circles  of  writers  be  formed,  he  organized 
the  first  of  these — The  Chicago  Inquest  Club.  He  was 
in  New  York  to  help  organize  the  parent  inquest  club, 
and  has  recently  organized  the  Los  Angeles  circle. 
He  was  the  first  photoplay  author  to  have  a  man  ar- 
rested for  the  theft  of  a  scenario,  and  when  the  case 
was  decided  against  him  he  agitated  the  matter  in  the 
trade  papers,  finally  persuading  a  number  of  the  more 
prominent  writers  in  Los  Angeles  to  attend  the  meet- 
ing which  resulted  in  the  formation  of  the  Photoplay 
Authors'  League. 

He  was  among  the  first  to  take  the  stand  that  the 
photoplay  author  must  be  a  technical  expert  in  all  mat- 
ters of  photoplay  production,  in  order  to  arrange  the 
material  in  his  stories  in  the  most  effective  manner, 
and  to  follow  this  with  careful  study.  He  has  directed 
and  played  in  scenes  and  has  designed  and  originated 
a  number  of  effects.  He  was  among  the  first  to  an- 
nounce his  belief  that  the  author  will  be  of  more  im- 
portance to  the  film  than  the  players  and  the  director. 


98 Cfte    Cfteatre 

Because  of  this  he  has  refused  many  offers  of  positions 
as  editor,  staff  writer,  and  director. 

He  is  not  a  prolific  writer,  and  averages  less  than  a 
script  a  week.  But  every  script  sells,  each  one  is  writ- 
ten carefully  for  the  company  that  purchases  it,  and 
his  releases  are  almost  invariably  successes.  Among 
his  most  successful  releases  are  "Twilight"  (Essanay), 
"The  Wood  Fire  at  Martin's"  (Selig),  "Sunlight"  (Es- 
sanay), "In  the  Firelight"  (American),  "Slipping  Fin- 
gers" (Selig),  "Withering  Roses"  (Beauty),  "Millions 
for  Defence"  (Vitagraph),  and  "The  Town  of  Naza- 
reth" (American). 

The  Photoplay  Authors'  League  was  organized  in 
Los  Angeles  on  February  27,  1914,  by  a  group  of  rep- 
resentative writers  who  met  primarily  to  see  what  ac- 
tion could  be  taken  following  the  decision  of  a  local 
judge  that  a  photoplay  manuscript  was  valueless.  In 
March  the  organization  was  perfected  and  officers 
elected  for  the  first  year  as  follows:  President,  Frank 
E.  Woods ;  Vice-Presidents,  Hettie  Gray  Baker,  Rich- 
ard Harding  Davis,  and  Ernest  A.  Dench;  Treasurer, 
Richard  Willis ;  Secretary,  Marc  Edmund  Jones.  The 
members  of  the  Board  of  Control  are:  Hettie  Gray 
Baker,  Marc  Edmund  Jones,  Russell  E.  Smith,  F.  Mc- 
Grew  Willis,  Richard  Willis,  William  E.  Wing,  and 
Frank  E.  Woods. 

The  purposes  of  the  league  are : 

To  take  every  possible  means  of  gaining  recognition 
for  the  art  of  photoplay  writing,  and  to  gain  better 
recognition  for  its  authors. 

To  aid  as  far  as  possible  in  encouraging  and  devel- 
oping a  better  grade  of  authorship  for  the  photoplay. 

To  knit  together  in  a  compact,  effective,  and  power- 


of    Science 99 

ful  organization  of  national  and  international  scope  the 
recognized  photoplay  authors. 

To  give  its  members  and  all  other  photoplay  writers 
whatever  protection  the  power  of  the  league  will  en- 
able it  to  secure. 

To  strive  to  gain  for  photoplay  manuscripts  the  priv- 
ilege of  copyright  registration  without  publication,  as 
is  extended  to  the  manuscripts  of  dramatic  and  dra- 
matico-musical  compositions  under  the  copyright  laws 
of  the  United  States  at  present. 

To  publish  once  a  month  a  bulletin  announcing  new 
membership,  reporting  new  laws  and  other  matters  ac- 
complished for  the  benefit  of  its  members,  and  contain- 
ing a  complete  forum  for  the  exchange  and  dissemina- 
tion of  the  experience  and  ideas  of  its  members. 

To  give  an  opportunity  of  copyright  protection  until 
such  time  as  new  legislation  is  secured,  through  the 
medium  of  the  bulletin  in  which  the  publication  of 
photoplay  synopses  and  hence  copyright  shall  be  al- 
lowed, upon  payment  of  a  small  fee. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  the  league  to  be  of  any  serv- 
ice in  a  social  way,  to  regulate  prices,  to  influence  the 
sale  of  photoplay  manuscripts,  or  to  take  any  arbitrary 
or  aggressive  stand  with  manufacturers. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  the  league  to  establish  a  res- 
ident membership  either  in  Los  Angeles  or  elsewhere, 
or  to  hold  meetings  for  the  benefit  of  its  resident  mem- 
bers in  any  locality. 

Active  membership  in  the  league  consists  of  photo- 
play authors  who  have  ten  produced  photoplays  to 
their  credit  as  author.  Associate  membership  consists 
of  authors  having  sold  one  photoplay  manuscript. 


ioo  Cfte   C&eatre 


CHAPTER    V 

The  development  of  the  motion-picture  art,  particu- 
larly as  to  its  theatrical  side,  has  been  on  such  a  scale 
that  the  writer  has  been  confronted  with  space  prob- 
lems in  any  effort  to  adequately  recite  and  fairly  ap- 
praise the  scope  and  influence  of  even  the  few  most 
prominent  institutions  which  in  1914  began  to  vastly 
enlarge  and  improve  the  screen  output,  as  a  result  of 
the  simultaneous  advent  of  the  two-  and  three-hour 
photoplay  in  playhouses  of  the  first  grade,  and  at  dol- 
lar prices  of  admission;  also  resorting  to  theatrical 
methods  of  booking  and  advertising. 

The  movement  has  come  with  an  impetus  so  com- 
pelling that  it  is  not  surprising  to  hear  at  every  turn 
the  direst  predictions  of  the  aftermath,  but  theatrical 
history  is  replete  with  evidence  of  the  ability  of  the 
great  public  to  quickly  adjust  the  evils  of  all  crazes, 
as  they  have  developed  in  theatredom.  The  laws  of 
supply  and  demand  never  were  called  upon  to  regulate 
the  conditions  in  the  amusement  field  to  the  extent 
that  the  year  1914  will  be  utilized  to  bring  about  an 
equilibrium  between  the  spoken  play,  or  what  is  called 
the  legitimate  theatre,  and  the  theatre  of  science  and 
invention. 


e  f    ©  t  f  t  n  1  1 


Here  we  have  perhaps  the  most  interesting,  and 
surely  the  most  vital,  phase  of  present-day  amuse- 
ments. The  future  of  the  theatre,  as  conducted  since 
the  inauguration  of  the  Christian  era,  is  at  stake.  To 
attempt  to  deny  that  this  condition  exists  in  the  United 
States  is  to  ignore  the  realization  of  the  prophecies 
of  less  than  three  years  ago.  To-day  such  prophecies, 
based  on  the  laws  of  proportion  alone,  if  applied  to  the 
possibilities  of  the  motion  picture  as  a  theatrical  at- 
traction —  not  necessarily  assuming  that  photoplays 
will  constitute  the  greater  motion  pictures  of  to-mor- 
row —  would  indicate  that  the  problem  is  nearing  solu- 
tion. There  is  an  intricate  question  now  seriously  agi- 
tating the  amusement  field  from  coast  to  coast  —  "Are 
we  due  to  relegate  the  player  in  the  flesh  to  the  film 
studio,  in  pursuance  of  the  laws  of  modernism  of  a 
scientific  era?"  Or  will  there  come  forth  at  the  cru- 
cial period  so  clearly  at  hand  a  crop  of  expert  show- 
men (there  is  no  other  term  to  apply  in  this  instance) 
such  as  the  field  of  the  theatre  has  lacked  in  recent 
years,  who  will  grasp  the  greatest  opportunity  that 
has  confronted  the  theatrical  manager  and  play  pro- 
ducer in  fifty  years,  and  by  recognizing  that  the  mo- 
tion picture  vogue  has  created  theatregoers  out  of  90 
per  cent,  of  mankind,  be  provided  with  a  greater  incen- 
tive and  a  more  valuable  asset  in  the  conduct  of  their 
operations  than  at  any  time  in  the  world's  history? 

Assuming  that  a  genuine  effort  is  made  to  entice  the 
many  millions  of  newly  created  theatregoers  (the  ma- 
jority of  whom  were  attracted  by  the  low  prices  in  the 
first  instance,  but  are  gradually  forced  to  increase  their 
expenditure  for  entertainment)  into  the  theatres  where 
plays  and  players  are  presented  in  the  old  way,  the 
day  may  be  near  when  such  of  the  producers  as  have 


Cfte   Cfteatte 


interests  in  both  fields  will  awake  to  the  significance  of 
a  condition  that  reveals  90  per  cent,  (instead  of  10  per 
cent,  as  recently  as  a  decade  ago)  of  a  populace  as 
theatregoers. 

And  there  is  much  to  indicate  that  with  the  adjust- 
ment of  admission  prices  to  a  scale  almost  equal  with 
the  two  modes  of  public  entertainment,  that  the  film 
magnate,  possessed  of  the  showmanship  instinct,  and 
provided  with  playhouses  and  widely  distributed  stock 
companies,  recognizing  the  trend  of  the  motion  pic- 
ture to  materially  add  to  the  patronage  of  the  spoken 
play,  will  himself  enter  the  older  field  and  demonstrate 
the  correctness  of  the  writer's  viewpoint. 

No  one  believes  that  there  is  the  least  danger  of 
the  motion-picture  play  replacing  the  spoken  play  as 
an  entertainment,  but  that  the  former  has  routed  off 
the  boards  all  but  a  few  of  the  traveling  companies 
and  has  driven  cheap  melodrama  entirely  from  large 
and  small  cities  alike,  is  admitted;  and  now  that  the 
rosters  of  the  film  studio  include  more  well-known 
players  than  the  speaking  stage  —  with  the  very  last 
of  the  producers  in  the  older  field,  Charles  Frohman, 
capitulating  to  the  lure  of  the  camera  man  —  a  condi- 
tion exists  wherein  the  season  of  1914-15  is  due  to  wit- 
ness a  complete  change  in  the  theatrical  map. 

Whether  the  experienced  theatrical  managers  now 
affiliated  with  the  film  industry  take  the  initiative  to 
induce  the  millions  of  amusement  patrons  created  by 
the  photoplay  to  become  patrons  of  the  so-called  regu- 
lar playhourse,  or  whether  the  effort  will  be  made  by 
the  gentlemen  who  have  amassed  fortunes  in  the  newer 
field,  and  who  are  now  in  an  impregnable  position 
to  make  such  a  move,  it  seems  certain  that  before 
the  year  is  ended,  as  a  result  of  the  many  affiliations 


of    Science 103 

between  the  influential  interests  in  both  fields,  a  high- 
ly developed  plan  of  apportioning  the  "lay-out"  in  the 
nation's  theatres  will  be  in  operation.  And  then  the 
question  as  to  whether  fifty  million  photoplaygoers 
can  be  enticed  to  divide  their  expenditure  between 
the  two  methods  of  public  entertainment  will  be  an- 
swered, perhaps  for  all  time. 

But  there  is  one  phase  of  this  unique  situation  on 
which  the  prosperity  of  the  theatre,  as  conducted  along 
older  lines,  is  at  stake,  that  the  showman  Will  have 
to  reckon  with,  and  this  phase  represents  unquestion- 
ably the  more  vital  issue — namely,  "Is  the  present- 
day  tendency  to  present  pictorial  adaptations  of  more 
or  less  successful  plays  of  other  days  the  best  use  to 
which  the  motion-picture  art  may  be  utilized?" 

Is  the  theatrical  movement  which  already  compre- 
hends a  complete  presentation  on  the  screen  of  past 
stage  productivity  a  realization  of  the  highest  aims 
and  greatest  possibilities  of  a  new  art,  which  is  just 
beginning  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  world's  great- 
est scientists  and  mechanics,  and  which  is  also  induc- 
ing the  investment  of  enormous  capital  by  hard-headed 
men  of  the  world  of  finance,  to  whom  the  theatre  as  it 
was  never  appealed  ? 

The  two  first  screen  productions  to  achieve  a  world- 
wide vogue,  after  being  released  by  American  manu- 
facturers, were  so  nearly  actualities,  at  least  such  was 
the  impression  created,  that  one  may  hear  more  to-day 
about  "The  Life  of  a  Fireman"  and  "The  Great  Train 
Robbery"  than  will  be  heard  as  many  years  hence 
of  the  greatest  film  achievements  of  1914.  Yet  these 
were  not  "actualities";  but  the  realism  depicted  even 
in  that  primitive  period  caused  more  than  one  film 
producer  to  specialize  in  productions  wholly  beyond 


Cfte    Cfteatte 


the  scope  of  a  four-walled  playhouse.  If  the  records 
were  published,  it  would  be  found  that  Paul  Rainey's 
"An  African  Hunt"  has  attracted  the  public  to  a  great- 
er extent,  at  higher  prices  of  admission  and  for  a 
more  prolonged  consecutive  period,  than  any  fictional 
theatrical  or  semi-theatrical  release  that  came  later. 

I  may  find  few  to  endorse  my  views,  nevertheless 
I  hold  that  it  is  such  productivity  of  the  camera  man  — 
and  here  the  term  is  used  advisedly  —  that  will  event- 
ually prolong  the  amazing  prosperity  in  filmdom.  The 
realities  of  life  not  only  prove  the  most  compelling  at- 
tractions with  the  public,  but  will  enable  one  to  point 
to  the  influence  of  the  motion  picture  in  the  national 
life.  The  pictures  of  Captain  Scott's  unfortunate  ex- 
pedition to  the  South  Pole  illustrate  as  nothing  else 
can  the  possibilities  of  a  heaven-born  new  art,  and 
when  the  final  results  are  achieved  from  many  ex- 
peditions of  intrepid  men  and  women  in  this  year  of 
1914  —  some  of  which  are  conducted  secretly,  others 
requiring  as  much  as  two  years  of  research  and  untold 
hardships  for  all  concerned  —  then  will  be  witnessed 
perhaps  the  spectacle  of  the  two-dollar-a-seat  motion- 
picture  production,  without  an  actor,  without  even  a 
director,  and  without  scenic  or  stage  accessories. 

There  is  no  assumption  that  such  productions  can  be 
evolved  with  the  frequency  requisite  for  exclusive  use. 
No  one  dreams  that  in  this  century  the  photoplay, 
speaking  literally,  is  to  be  wholly  replaced  by  real-life 
films;  but  there  is  much  to  justify  the  belief  that  the 
greatest  productions  of  the  screen  will  be  due  to  the 
unparalleled  daring  and  persistent  research  of  men 
and  women  bent  upon  revealing  to  mankind  that  which 
has  never  been  seen  save  by  the  few  explorers  and 
scientists  themselves. 


fl  (    Science 105 

Men  to  whom  the  theatre  is  wholly  without  appeal, 
men  emboldened  by  divine  incentive,  are  now  on  their 
way  to  lands  where  a  civilized  human  being  never 
ventured  before,  and  it  is  these  Henry  M.  Stanleys  of 
the  second  decade  of  the  twentieth  century  who  will 
perpetuate  the  vogue  of  motion  pictures,  and  when 
the  public  is  invited  to  gaze  on  such  productions  the 
impression  created  will  be  somewhat  similar  to  that 
which  one  might  have  in  seeing  "A  Million  Bid"  to- 
day, if  the  spectator  had  not  entered  a  photoplay  house 
since  the  days  of  "The  Chase." 

Toward  the  end  of  1913,  the  influence  of  the  motion 
picture  in  shaping  and  revealing  public  sentiment  was 
aptly  illustrated  through  the  experience  of  Hal  Reid, 
erstwhile  apostle  of  melodrama,  author  of  a  score  of 
thrillers,  and  present-day  all-round  film  promoter.  Mr. 
Reid  had  been  with  various  producing  concerns,  in 
the  capacity  of  director  and  scenario  editor,  without 
achieving  the  unusual.  Evidently  Mr.  Reid  believed 
that  the  vicissitudes  of  one  Harry  Thaw  would  make 
a  compelling  subject,  and  as  Mr.  Reid  once  wrote 
and  produced  a  play  in  which  the  slayer  of  Stanford 
White  was  sympathetically  pictured,  h«  was  able  to 
obtain  the  aid  and  co-operation  of  Thaw  himself. 

Proceeding  to  Sherbrooke,  Canada,  and  other  Can- 
adian and  New  Hampshire  cities,  Mr.  Reid  secured  less 
than  500  feet  of  film,  yet  in  a  half  dozen  of  New  York's 
vaudeville  theatres  of  the  first  grade,  for  an  entire 
week,  the  audiences  were  limited  by  the  capacity,  and 
twice  daily  in  each  the  spectacle  of  the  crowds  cheer- 
ing the  alleged  madman  was  on  view.  It  was  at  this 
time  that  several  of  the  big  city  dailies  reversed  their 
attitude  toward  Thaw,  and  it  is  generally  conceded 
that  these  Thaw  films  and  the  manner  they  were  re- 


106 Cfte    Cfteatre 

ceived  convinced  many  and  converted  others  into  the 
belief  that  Thaw  had  been  punished  enough.  Another 
phase  of  the  Thaw  pictures,  interesting  by  itself,  was 
the  demonstrated  fact  that,  provided  copies  enough 
were  printed,  half  of  the  hundreds  of  millions  of  the 
world's  picture  patrons  could  see  the  exhibit  inside 
of  60  days. 

Herbert  Brenon,  one  of  the  best  of  directors  who 
now  are  so  vital  a  part  of  motion-picture  develop- 
ment, told  the  writer  that  he  got  his  best  points  for 
his  work  from  the  newspapers,  and  I  sincerely  believe 
that,  as  the  present  vogue  of  stage  plays  reaches  an 
end,  there  will  come  on  the  scene  an  entirely  new 
group  of  determined  men  and  women  who  will  write 
solely  for  the  screen.  These  will  come  forward  only 
when  the  producers  realize  that  such  talent  and  genius 
as  they  possess  must  be  accorded  financial  recognition. 

This  day  of  recognition  for  the  author  should  come 
within  a  year ;  but  the  first  producer  to  grant  a  royalty 
on  all  income  the  producer  himself  receives  will  start 
an  era  of  screen  achievement  as  yet  inconceivable, 
and  then  the  photoplay  author  will  be  the  envied  of 
the  entire  literary  calling,  for  his  earnings  will  be  pro- 
digious. George  Broadhurst  has  admitted  he  earns 
$100,000  a  year.  I  expect  to  see  far  greater  annual 
earnings  than  this  recorded  in  filmdom  in  1915;  but 
I  am  not  sure  the  big  reward  will  go  to  writers  who 
ignore  the  significance  of  Mr.  Brenon's  admission  as 
to  where  he  gets  his  best  points. 


In  these  days  of  realism,  when  the  limitations  of  the 
stage  are  inducing  play  producers  and  players  alike  to 
intrench  themselves  in  the  film  studios,  one  may 


Dan  Weaver  L.  M.  Note  Wm.  N.  Selig  Collln  R«id        William  Morris         Harry  Lauder 

This  Picture  is  Noteworthy  for  the  Fact  that  It  Contains  the  Only  Likeness  of  Col.  W.  N.  Selig  That  Has  Been 

Published. 

Courtesy  of  the  "Moving  Picture  World" 

WILLIAM  N.  SELIG,  WILLIAM  MORRIS  AND  HARRY  LAUDER  IN  THE 
SELIG  STUDIO, LOS  ANGELES,  CAL. 


CHARLES  KENT  AS  "DANIEL"  IN  "DANIEL  IN  THE  DEN  WITH  THE  LIONS' 

A  remarkable  though  actual  scene  in  a  Vitagraph  production 


o  f    ®  1 1  e  n  c  e  107 

well  marvel  as  to  where  the  limit  line  is  to  be  drawn 
in  the  effort  to  outdo  previous  demonstrations  of  in- 
trepidity that  is  now  so  characteristic  of  modern  film 
productivity. 

Few  of  us  believe  even  now  that  the  amazing  revela- 
tions on  the  screen  are  not  mostly  due  to  the  tricks  of 
the  camera,  and  still  fewer  would  accept  as  a  truth  the 
published  statements  of  the  hair-breadth  escapes  of 
players  of  both  sexes  on  whom  the  director  is  wont  to 
rely  whenever  the  scenario  calls  for  reckless  daring, 
where  the  danger  to  be  encountered  is  such  that,  but 
for  the  apparent  viewpoint  of  the  spectator  as  to  the 
illusions  of  the  camera,  the  suspense  of  an  audience 
would  be  immeasurably  greater  than  it  is;  but  un- 
doubtedly the  actual  "dare-devil"  nature  of  several  re- 
cent screen  productions,  if  fully  revealed  to  the  aver- 
age audience,  and  accepted  by  it  on  the  principle  that 
"the  camera  cannot  lie,"  the  wildest  cravings  for 
realism,  even  in  this  era  of  sensational  productivity, 
would  be  satisfied. 

Nevertheless,  there  seems  to  be  a  certain  magnetic 
influence  surrounding  the  film  studio  that  will  induce 
men  and  women  of  the  stage  to  risk  their  very  lives 
that  the  achievements  of  the  producer  of  photoplays 
may  be  greater  than  what  has  gone  before.  So  true 
is  this  that  I  could  name  more  than  one  player  now 
famous  for  intrepid  performances  on  the  screen  whose 
stage  career  was  wholly  barren  of  the  slightest  sensa- 
tional incident;  in  fact,  the  most  startling  exploits  as 
I  am  privileged  to  see  them  on  the  screen  are  partici- 
pated in  by  players  long  identified  with  the  stage  along 
classic  and  dignified  lines.  If  anything  was  charac- 
teristic of  such  actors  it  was  suppression. 

Perhaps  no  photoplayer  of  to-day  has  had  a  more 


108 C&e   Cfteatre 

varied  film  experience  than  Charles  Kent,  and  if  there 
is  anything  in  the  line  of  daring  that  this  Vitagraph 
player  has  not  attempted  during  his  years  of  service 
to  that  company  I  would  like  to  know  what  it  is.  Yet 
this  same  Charles  Kent  on  the  speaking  stage  was 
very  much  similar  to  the  great  Coquelin,  or  our  own 
John  Gilbert  of  other  days.  Fancy  John  Gilbert  going 
into  a  cage  where  three  more  or  less  man-eating  lions 
are  to  be  his  sole  company? 

When  I  saw  the  lithographs  of  the  Vitagraph  pro- 
duction of  "Daniel,"  and  recognized  my  old  friend 
Kent  in  the  title  role,  I  did  not  wait  till  this  photo- 
play was  exhibited  in  my  home  town,  but  went  to  the 
city  expressly.  After  seeing  "Daniel"  I  told  Mrs.  Grau 
of  my  experience,  and  took  her  that  night  to  the  city 
where  I  saw  it  a  second  time.  We  both  agreed  that 
such  a  performance  could,  by  no  stretch  of  imagina- 
tion, be  what  it  seemed  to  be.  The  more  I  thought 
of  it  the  more  skeptical  I  became.  Assuming  the  most 
favorable  conditions  to  prevail  I  could  not  name  a 
player,  past  or  present,  who  would  undertake  what 
Kent  did,  provided  there  were  no  "tricks." 

I  determined  to  write  to  Mr.  Kent,  whom  I  had  not 
seen  in  the  flesh  in  nearly  fifteen  years.  I  called  upon 
the  veteran  actor  to  tell  me  the  truth,  not  thinking 
at  the  time  to  make  any  use  of  the  information.  But 
after  reading  Mr.  Kent's  letter  I  was  emboldened  to 
make  it  a  part  of  this  volume,  if  only  to  reveal  the  at- 
titude of  the  player  toward  the  film  producer  as  com- 
pared with  that  which  usually  obtains  between  actors 
and  managers  in  the  older  field  of  the  theatre. 

"800  E.  14th  St., 

"10  Dec.,  '13. 

"Dear    Grau — Yours    received.      It    was    no    fake. 


of    Science 109 

Neither  were  the  animals  'doped/  I  prayed  to  God 
to  protect  me  and  went  into  the  cage.  Picked  out 
'George*  because  he  looked  the  kindest;  played  the 
scene  with  my  heart  in  my  mouth,  and  came  out  of 
the  cage,  and  then  I  began  to  tremble,  and  did  so  for 
two  hours. 

"I  had  just  recovered  from  a  severe  attack  of  pneu- 
monia and  I  thought  if  God  did  not  want  me  'then'  he 
would  not  want  me  a  few  weeks  later.  As  I  said,  I 
prayed  before  I  entered  the  cage,  and  I  felt  incased 
by  about  two  foot  of  something,  and  strange  to  say — 
before  the  picture  was  taken  the  lions  walked  around 
me  and  did  not  come  within  two  feet  of  me.  I  thought 
it  was  the  presence  of  the  great  'Something*  that 
watches  over  us  all.  It  was  my  'duty*  to  the  dear  Vita- 
graph  Company  to  'do  it*  and  I  'did*  it.  Though  I 
must  say  I  don't  think  another  man  in  the  company 
would  have  risked  his  life  in  the  same  cause. 

"Trusting  you  are  well,  and  with  the  compliments 
of  the  coming  season,  believe  me,  sincerely  yours — 
Charles  Kent. 

"P.  S. — I  was  thrown  into  the  den  from  above.  The 
den  was  enclosed  by  an  iron  railing  for  the  protection 
of  the  'crowd  outside/  If  the  beasts  had  been  so  in- 
clined they  could  have  had  a  hearty  meal,  for  I  was 
certainly  'alone/  C.  K." 

After  reading  this  letter  can  anyone  wonder  any 
longer  at  the  extraordinary  condition  now  prevailing 
in  the  amusement  world?  If  Mr.  Kent  would  under- 
take such  an  exploit  in  sheer  appreciation  of  "the  dear 
Vitagraph  Company,"  why  marvel  because  Mary  Pick- 
ford  refuses  fabulous  offers  to  induce  her  to  change  her 
environment — or  because  three  of  our  best  stage  di- 


no Cfte   Cfteatte 

rectors  have  joined  the  Famous  Players'  Film  Com- 
pany. 

Was  it  not  the  great  Nazimova,  herself,  who  pro- 
claimed that  whatever  her  disappointments  have  been 
in  her  stage  career,  she  was  encouraged  that  the  day 
was  near  when  the  new  art  would  reach  such  a  stage 
in  its  progress  that  the  thoughtful  actor  will  at  last 
have  an  adequate  means  of  expression  for  his  genius. 

*     *     * 

The  season  of  1914-15  is  likely  to  witness  a  com- 
plete change  in  the  aspect  of  the  entire  film  industry. 
Heretofore  what  is  known  as  the  exchange  system  has 
controlled  the  output  almost  entirely.  Such  concerns 
as  the  General  Film  Company  and  what  was  called  the 
Motion  Picture  Sales  Company  (now  extinct)  abso- 
lutely controlled  the  distribution  of  ninety  per  cent, 
of  the  releases  up  to  two  years  ago.  The  General  Film 
Company's  position  has  been  seemingly  impregnable. 
Rumors  of  a  break  in  their  ranks  have  been  plentiful 
from  its  inception  to  this  day,  but  such  changes  as 
have  been  recorded  have  been  wholly  insignificant. 
While  as  illustrating  its  standing  in  the  industry  it  has 
been  the  aim  of  practically  all  of  the  large  film  pro- 
ducers who  have  come  into  the  field  since  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Motion  Picture  Patents  Company,  and  its 
ally,  the  General  Film  Company,  to  become  affiliated 
with  the  latter,  to-day  such  of  these  as  "Kinema- 
color,"  "Famous  Players,"  "Kleine-Cines  Quo  Vadis," 
and  the  Klaw  and  Erlanger  films  are  "booked"  through 
the  G.  F.  Co.,  which  is  to  say  to  motion  pictures  what 
the  United  Booking  Offices  is  to  vaudeville. 

The  Motion  Picture  Sales  Company  was,  like  "Gen- 
eral Film,"  the  medium  of  booking  or  distributing  for 
the  group  of  independent  manufacturers  of  film, 


of    Science m 

which  organized  in  1908,  following  the  formation  of 
the  so-called  "film  trust"  in  the  same  year;  and  it  will 
be  observed  that  the  independents'  mode  of  business 
procedure  was  much  like  that  of  its  rival,  both  as  to  its 
holding  company  and  the  method  of  distributing  its 
product,  but,  unlike  the  well-disciplined  and  firmly  en- 
trenched G.  F.,  the  Motion  Picture  Sales  Company  was 
"in  wrong"  almost  from  the  outset,  though  through  its 
offices  a  tremendous  volume  of  business  was  done,  but 
friction  came  principally  from  two  groups  of  gentle- 
men, and  the  warfare  these  indulged  in  probably  has 
had  no  parallel  in  the  history  of  "the  show  business." 
This  warfare  first  brought  about  the  dissolution  of 
the  Sales  Company  and  the  formation  of  two  compet- 
ing bodies,  one  called  the  Film  Supply  Company,  and 
these  in  turn  gave  way  ultimately  to  the  two  strong 
organizations  of  to-day,  namely,  the  Universal  and  the 
Mutual.  The  development  of  both  of  these  groups  of 
independent  manufacturers  has  been  truly  extraordi- 
nary, yet  whatever  ground  has  been  gained  by  either 
represents  a  survival  after  the  most  bitterly  fought 
series  of  legal  and  physical  combats  ever  recorded 
of  an  industry  replete  with  sensational  incidents  in  its 
progress. 

The  contests  for  supremacy  between  the  theatrical 
syndicates  and  the  old-time  pitched  battles  between  the 
rival  circus  magnates  were  in  line  for  Carnegie  peace 
medals  when  compared  with  the  endless  warfare — still 
prevalent — in  filmdom.  The  principal  participants  in 
the  various  legal  and  physical  encounters  were  men 
who  have  done  constructive  pioneer  work  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  motion  picture,  men  who  have  made 
fortunes  in  the  last  ten  years  and  most  of  whom  own 


C6e   Cfreatte 


or  represent  the  largest  film  concerns  in  this  country 
to-day. 

Perhaps  these  battles  provided  a  greater  incentive 
for  notable  achievement  as  manufacturers  of  film  than 
any  other  influence  one  may  name.  Certain  it  is  that 
such  men  as  Carl  Laemmle,  P.  A.  Powers,  Charles 
Hite  and  Messrs.  Baumann  and  Kessel,  who  were  vig- 
orously arrayed  on  one  side  or  the  other,  have  come 
forward  in  the  last  two  years  with  an  impetus  that 
must  be  consoling.  Surely,  none  there  are  who  will 
question  their  status  in  the  industry.  The  career  of 
Laemmle  is  perhaps  the  most  remarkable  of  the  many 
meteoric  dashes  to  the  front  that  have  been  so  interest- 
ing a  part  of  film  history.  A  fire  pictured  on  a  film 
helped  to  make  him  a  millionaire. 

Laemmle  is  47  years  old,  is  given  to  soft  hats  and  a 
clinging  handshake  and  speaks  with  a  slight  German 
accent. 

"My  first  grasp  on  the  basic  foundation  of  film  mak- 
ing came  from  seeing  a  fire  filmed  on  the  screen,"  said 
Laemmle  recently.  "I  discovered  that  an  average  of 
eighteen  per  cent,  of  all  the  raw  material  which  en- 
tered my  factories  was  being  wasted;  now  I  have  re- 
duced it  to  two  per  cent.,  and  propose  to  eliminate 
all  waste  this  year." 

Laemmle  got  into  the  film  business  through  his  ad- 
miration of  the  nickel  as  an  article  of  barter.  He  land- 
ed in  New  York  in  1884  a  raw  German  boy  of  17,  with 
his  $50  patrimony  in  his  pocket.  Soon  he  reached  Chi- 
cago. The  largest  salary  he  ever  received  was  $18  a 
week.  To  this  he  added  a  little  by  rising  at  3  A.  M. 
each  Sunday  and  taking  a  train  to  a  village  twenty 
miles  away,  where  he  sold  the  Sunday  papers.  He 
gave  up  his  $18  position  in  a  wholesale  jewelry  house 


LILLIAN  WALKER  ("DIMPLES") 

(Vitagraph  Co.) 


PEARL  WHITE 

Who  created  "Pauline"  in  "The  Perils 
Pauline."     (Eclectic-Pat  he) 


MARGARET  SNOW 

(Thanhouser  Co.) 


WINIFRED  GREENWOOD 
(American  Film  Co.) 


c  t    Science 


to  go  to  Oshkosh  as  cashier  for  a  clothing  house  at 
$15  a  week  because  he  argued  that  as  a  jeweler  he  had 
no  future.  In  four  years  he  became  manager,  with 
an  interest  in  the  profits.  Said  Laemmle  : 

"I  believed  myself  to  be  a  nickel  genius  and  I  plan- 
ned to  establish  a  chain  of  five-cent  stores.  I  found 
a  business  where  I  could  make  nickels  multiply."  Hav- 
ing saved  $3,000,  Laemmle  went  to  Chicago.  One 
rainy  night  he  dropped  into  a  five-cent  theatre.  Be- 
fore he  left  he  knew  all  that  the  proprietor  knew  about 
the  business.  The  next  day  he  hired  an  experienced 
man  to  prospect  for  a  good  location  for  a  moving 
picture  theatre,  and  was  on  his  way  to  Oshkosh  to 
draw  out  of  the  bank  his  $3,000.  In  six  weeks  after 
he  opened  the  first  theatre  he  had  two  others  in  Chi- 
cago. In  six  months  he  owned  a  film  exchange,  and  in 
two  years  he  was  a  manufacturer.  Money  fairly  rained 
upon  him.  The  nickels  were  multiplying  at  an  incal- 
culable rate.  Laemmle  regards  his  success  as  due  to 
an  insistent  inquisitiveness  in  matters  financial.  From 
his  employes  he  always  demanded  a  daily  report  so 
that  he  knew  to  a  dollar  what  yesterday's  profits  or 
losses  were.  From  the  outset  he  was  a  telegraph  fiend, 
using  the  wires  instead  of  the  mails,  beating  his  com- 
petitors. His  early  training  as  a  buyer  and  seller 
helped  him  beyond  comprehension  when  he  became  a 
tremendous  film  trader,  and,  most  of  all,  he  knew  how 
to  advertise. 

In  the  film  world  they  call  it  "Laemmle  luck";  in 
fact,  the  magnate  himself  in  his  advertising  persistent- 
ly refers  to  Laemmle  luck,  but  to-day  the  reference  is 
inadequate  and  wholly  unjust  to  himself,  for  here  is  a 
man  whose  achievements  of  the  last  two  years  place 
him  among  the  captains  of  industry  of  a  tremendous 


C&eatre 


business  era.  Moreover,  there  is  nothing  to  indicate 
that  he  will  not  continue  as  a  dominant  figure  on  an 
overwhelming  scale  as  long  as  he  is  identified  with  the 
vast  industry  which  he  has  helped  to  make  what  it  is 
to-day;  not  through  luck  but  principally  because  of 
ceaseless  toil  and  partially  because  of  a  personality 
electrically  magnetic  at  times  and  ingratiating  always. 

It  must  be  understood  that  while  theatrical  methods 
in  the  booking  of  feature  films  have  been  in  evidence 
for  several  years  in  a  few  instances,  the  changes  that 
are  likely  to  become  permanent  before  the  year  is  ended 
will  have  been  created  by  what  is  now  called  the 
"Broadway  Movement." 

When  "Quo  Vadis?"  broke  records  throughout  the 
country,  attention  was  naturally  directed  to  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  colossal  Kleine-Cines  production  was 
exploited  and  as  Mr.  Kleine  left  the  booking  to  Messrs. 
Cohan  and  Harris,  the  great  financial  results  were  gen- 
erally attributed  to  a  resort  to  theatrical  booking  meth- 
ods, and  also  were  the  main  incentive  for  the  erection 
by  Mr.  Kleine  and  his  associates  of  the  new  and  com- 
modious photo-playhouse  in  the  heart  of  New  York's 
theatre  zone.  Moreover,  the  unexpected  public  re- 
sponse to  the  Vitagraph  Company's  bid  for  Broadway 
honors  and  the  attitude  of  the  important  press  in  ac- 
cording to  the  inaugural  night  the  same  space  con- 
sideration that  is  usually  given  to  the  dedication  of  the 
so-called  legitimate  theatre,  all  contributed  to  open  the 
eyes  of  film  men  to  the  need  of  adopting  new  methods 
to  exploit  the  costly  productions  which  now  seem  alone 
to  carry  a  large  appeal. 

It  is  now  thought  that  the  feature  film  productions 
will  be  gradually  separated  from  the  long-established 
exchange  system—  though  there  are  still  thousands  of 


GEORGE  KLEINE 

One  time  optician  who,  because  of  high  ideals  and  great  enterprise,  has  become  a  tremendous 

factor  in  the  film  industry.    Producer  of  "Quo  Vadis,"  "Antony  and 

Cleopatra,"  etc. 


of    Science 115 

little  theatres  throughout  the  country  where  the  ex- 
change system  of  bookings  is  as  potent  as  ever — but 
the  film  industry  has  assumed  such  tremendous  pro- 
portions in  the  past  year  that  the  belief  is  quite  gen- 
eral that  for  the  first  time  in  twenty  years  the  local 
managers  of  opera  houses  and  halls  in  cities  of  50,- 
000  population  or  under  are  due  to  secure  a  plethora 
of  attractions.  What  this  means  of  itself  will  be  ap- 
parent to  any  one  familiar  with  the  truly  ghastly  box 
office  records  in  the  one-night  stands  in  recent  years. 
The  Messrs.  Shubert  plan  to  divide  quite  equally  their 
stage  and  film  productions,  and  hope  as  a  result  to 
solve  the  most  serious  problem,  that  of  providing  at- 
tractions for  their  theatres  outside  of  New  York. 

So  tremendous  is  the  film  output  likely  to  be  within 
the  year  that  one  must  not  marvel  if  the  aspect  of  the 
great  industry  undergoes  material  changes  over  night. 
At  the  moment  there  are  several  factions  operating 
under  a  complex,  ill-disciplined  mode  of  business  pro- 
cedure. At  any  moment  can  come  an  upheaval  such 
as  has  always  followed  the  unorganized  hap-hazard 
way  of  operating  in  the  amusement  field. 

From  all  this  confusion  resulting  from  ninety  per 
cent,  of  the  nation's  showmen  entering  the  film  field, 
some  arrayed  against  the  established  interests,  others 
with  them,  there  must  arise  a  commanding  figure  of 
the  Edward  F.  Albee  type,  who  will  so  amalgamate  the 
warring  faction,  eliminating  the  fakirs,  as  only  a  clear- 
ing house  can,  and  so  systematize  the  overwhelming 
screen  productivity — probably  by  some  gigantic  book- 
ing institution,  such  as  obtains  in  vaudeville;  then 
business  rectitude  and  economic  laws  will  combine  to 
regulate  a  line  of  endeavor  expanding  so  rapidly  and 


Cf)e   Cfaeatre 


absorbing  so  extensively  as  it  marches  on  to  its  final 
goal,  that  even  he  who  runs  may  read. 

Picturedom  is  looked  upon  by  many  as  the  New 
Eldorado.  Many  misguided  fools  are  rushing  in  where 
experienced  angels  fear  to  tread.  Many  theatrical  con- 
cerns are  now  "going  into  the  moving  picture  busi- 
ness" and  they  blithely  announce  their  intention  to  up- 
lift the  motion  picture  and  show  the  public  some  real 
stage  productions  done  in  pictures.  Some  that 
have  come  to  light  so  far  have  been  very  sad  affairs, 
as  is  but  natural.  The  average  theatrical  man  makes 
just  about  the  same  brand  of  pictures  as  the  average 
picture  producers  made  five  years  ago.  To  again  quote 
the  invaluable  Shaw:  "Vital  art  work  comes  always 
from  a  cross  between  art  and  life." 

The  art  of  the  picture  is  to  convey  an  impression 
of  absolute  realism  in  a  manner  artistic.  The  theatri- 
cal stage  manager  has  been  proven  to  be  utterly  use- 
less in  picture  production  until  he  has  unlearned  all 
the  traditions  of  the  stage  and  acquired  an  entirely 
new  technique.  It  is  unfortunate  that  many  stock- 
jobbing, security-selling  schemes  are  being  offered  to 
investors  and  the  public  under  the  magic  "movie" 
name.  Many  royalties  are  being  promised  that  will 
never  be  paid,  and  of  many  of  these  cardboard  houses, 
great  will  be  the  fall  thereof.  "A  word  to  the  wise 
is  sometimes  money  in  pocket." 

The  following  statistics,  furnished  by  Mr.  Frank  L. 
Dyer,  late  president  of  the  General  Film  Company, 
give  some  idea  of  the  magnitude  of  the  industry: 

There  are  about  14,000  moving  picture  theatres  in 
the  United  States  ;  there  are  700  in  Greater  New  York, 
and  in  addition  200  airdomes  during  the  summer  sea- 
son. 


of    Science 117 

Over  $20,000,000  was  paid  by  exchanges  to  film  man- 
ufacturers during  the  past  year.  Over  $25,000,000  was 
paid  by  theatres  to  exchanges  for  the  rental  of  films; 
$275,000,000  was  paid  by  the  public  in  admissions. 
There  is  about  $25,000,000  invested  in  manufacturers' 
plants  in  the  United  States  and  fully  $50,000,000  in 
finished  negatives  in  stock.  The  money  invested  in 
motion  picture  theatres  is  estimated  at  $120,000,000. 
About  25,000  people  are  employed  in  connection  with 
manufacturing,  and  probably  175,000  employed  in  the- 
atres. The  amount  of  film  used  in  the  United  States 
alone  in  one  year  is  over  200,000,000  feet,  or  almost 
40,000  miles,  and,  as  there  are  32  pictures  to  each 
foot  of  film,  this  aggregates  3,200,000  separate  photos 
of  each  man,  woman  and  child  in  the  United  States, 
and,  with  all  this,  or  the  possibilities  of  this  vast, 
all-embracing  art,  the  surface  has  hardly  been 
scratched.  Europe  is  the  accepted  leader  in  things  ar- 
tistic, but  it  is  universally  conceded  that  American 
motion  pictures  are  the  best  in  the  world  and  is  proven 
by  the  fact  that  more  American  films  are  sold  and  ex- 
hibited in  Europe  than  of  their  own  product.  When 
America  stands  in  the  foremost  artistic  and  literary 
ranks,  as  she  undoubtedly  will  in  another  decade,  mo- 
tion pictures  will  have  been  one  of  the  most  powerful 
contributing  causes. 

All  summed  up  in  a  paragraph,  the  answer  is — with- 
out a  STORY — motion  pictures  would  be  what  they 
were  styled  at  their  inception,  a  novelty  or  a  fad.  So 
literature  is  indissolubly  linked  with  the  future  and 
success  of  the  greatest  of  the  Allied  Arts,  the  "Life 
Portrayal"  or  "Thought  Visualized"  is  perhaps  better 
than  all  "Literature  Realized." 


118  C6e    C&eatre 


CHAPTER   VI 

As  recently  as  four  years  ago,  as  far  as  this  country 
is  concerned,  players  of  reputation  on  the  regular 
stage  were  so  reluctant  to  become  affiliated  with  mov- 
ing pictures  that  the  producers  were  forced  to  rely 
on  what  then  was  a  rather  narrow  source  of  supply, 
namely,  the  provincial  stock  companies;  yet  the  se- 
lections were,  indeed,  creditable,  and  to  this  day  some 
of  these  young  men  and  women  have  not  only  main- 
tained their  lead  as  photoplayers,  but  not  a  few  of 
the  real  stars  of  the  screen  of  to-day  are  the  same  in- 
dividuals who  in  the  early  years  of  the  20th  century 
entered  the  studios  bent  upon  conquest  in  what  to 
them  was,  indeed,  a  difficult  yet  new  and  interesting 
art. 

One  must  comprehend  that  even  John  Bunny  has 
been  a  photoplayer  but  a  little  over  three  years.  He 
came  to  the  Vitagraph  Company  at  a  time  when 
the  stage  calling  was  in  such  a  precarious  condition 
that  the  man  who  is  now  famous  all  over  the  world 
was  quick  to  accept  a  weekly  honorarium  of  $40. 
Bunny  had  been  an  actor  for  twenty-six  years.  His 
average  salary  was  about  $100  a  week.  He  had  been 
often  promised  more  than  this,  but  so  unstable  was 
the  business  procedure  and  often  the  engagements 


of    Science 


were  so  short  and  so  varied  that  Bunny  fairly  jumped 
at  the  chance  to  enter  the  field  which  he  had  observed 
closely,  and  as  he  put  it  himself,  "Either  I  must  make 
good  on  the  screen  or  else  starve  to  death." 

John  Bunny's  twenty-five  years  on  the  stage  was 
much  like  the  average  stage  career.  That  he  never 
reached  stellardom  may  be  due  to  lack  of  managerial 
acumen.  Certain  it  is  that  many  play  producers  in 
the  older  field  would  permit  him  to  write  his  own  con- 
tract for  a  starring  tour  in  the  near  future,  and  one 
has  stated  that  he  would  be  quite  willing  to  grant  the 
same  terms  if  Bunny  changed  his  name,  indicating 
that,  apart  from  his  fame  as  a  photoplayer,  his  value 
is  now  recognized. 

A  year  ago  the  late  William  Hammerstein  —  as  was 
his  wont  —  paid  Bunny  $1,000  a  week  to  appear  in  mon- 
ologue. The  Vitagraph  star  was  kept  a  second  week 
and  later  was  rebooked.  Moreover,  as  Mr.  Bunny 
has  persistently  been  offered  a  far  higher  honorarium 
for  a  prolonged  tour  of  vaudeville  and  can  become 
a  Broadway  star  in  a  play  expressly  written  for  him, 
and  has  refused  all  such  offers,  it  is  reasonable  to  sup- 
pose that  he  is  not  earning  much  less  than  the  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.  Such  has  been  the  result 
so  far  from  the  plaintive  appeal  of  the  great  laugh- 
maker  made  three  and  a  half  years  ago,  an  appeal  for 
permanent  work  and  a  surely  paid  salary  of  $40  a 
week. 

Many  there  are  who  believe  that  the  photoplayers 
should  not  appear  in  person,  at  least  not  in  the  the- 
atres where  their  artistry  is  revealed  on  the  screen, 
yet  there  is  nothing  to  indicate  that  such  appearances 
in  the  flesh  detract  from  the  player's  appeal.  Bunny 
certainly  was  a  compelling  attraction  during  the  in- 


120 C&e   Cfteatte 

augural  period  of  the  Vitagraph  Company's  own  play- 
house, when  the  high-priced  seats  were  sold  days  in 
advance,  attracting  a  class  of  playgoers  quite  similar 
to  that  of  the  two-dollar-a-seat  theatres.  Bunny  was 
accorded  by  the  Vitagraph  Company  an  additional  sal- 
ary for  his  personal  appearance  so  largely  in  excess  of 
his  regular  compensation  that  it  is  hardly  likely  that 
the  dainty  silent  drama  in  which  he  and  two  of  his 
colleagues  appeared  would  have  been  kept  on  the 
boards  for  two  months  if  the  idea  itself  had  not  been 
successful — in  fact,  as  illustrating  the  desire  to  see  the 
idols  of  the  screen  in  the  flesh,  the  Vitagraph  Theatre 
program  will  include  this  feature  indefinitely,  merely 
changing  the  productions  and  the  players,  a  plan  that 
presents  possibilities  for  the  perpetuation  of  a  nearly 
lost  art,  that  of  real  pantomime,  such  as  was  so  ar- 
tistically offered  at  Daly's  Theatre  two  decades  ago  in 
"L'Enfant  Prodigue." 

Charles  Kent  was  perhaps  the  first  actor  of  the  high- 
est rank  to  become  a  permanent  member  of  the  Vita- 
graph  Stock  Company,  his  advent  therein  antedating 
Bunny's  by  several  years  and  no  better  evidence  of  the 
stability  of  the  Vitagraph  stock  policy  can  be  referred 
to  than  the  spectacle  this  fine  actor's  film  career  re- 
veals. For  more  than  seven  years  Kent  has  been  one 
of  the  pillars  of  the  Vitagraph  structure.  He  has 
seen  in  that  period  a  growth  of  the  film  company's 
operations  nothing  short  of  extraordinary.  When  he 
entered  the  Brooklyn  studio  the  Vitagraph  had  but  one 
studio,  and  its  stock  company  numbered  perhaps  a 
dozen  persons.  To-day  Mr.  Kent  is  one  of  a  score  of 
noted  leaders  in  a  widely  distributed  stock  organiza- 
tion, including  more  than  150  men  and  women,  not 


A  MILLION  BID 


SCENE  FROM  "A  MILLION  BID,"  THE    PHOTOPLAY  NOW  WIDELY  DIS- 
CUSSED BECAUSE  OF  ITS  REALISM 

In  the  Vitagraph  Theatre,  New  York 

Two  Scenes  from  a  Notable  Vitagraph  Production 


of    Science 121 

one  of  whom  is  lacking  the  requisites  for  a  prolonged 
Vitagraph  career. 

This  big  body  of  players  represents  by  no  manner 
of  means  the  final  growth  of  a  colossal  plan  to  enter- 
tain the  world's  gross  population  simultaneously.  The 
number  of  well-known  players  who  can  command  a 
larger  compensation  than  was  their's  on  the  stage  is 
surprisingly  small,  though,  of  course,  the  inducements 
becoming  greater  as  the  productions  become  more  im- 
portant and  numerous,  the  present  year  will  greatly 
add  to  the  list  of  accepted  screen  stars. 

But  such  achievements  as  those  of  Bunny  and  Kent 
are  far  fewer  than  those  of  photoplayers  who  came  into 
the  new  field  with  either  no  stage  experience  or  so  lit- 
tle that  they  are  entitled  to  recognition  as  products 
of  the  new  art.  Charles  Kent,  from  the  outset,  dis- 
played a  keen  conception  of  the  art  of  the  photoplay 
from  practically  all  of  its  angles.  Furthermore,  he  is 
held  fast  in  his  artistic  aspirations  through  an  almost 
reverent  devotion  to  the  three  gentlemen  he  so  loyally 
serves.  Elsewhere  in  the  volume  the  reader  will  be 
provided  with  ample  proof  of  this  assertion. 

Mr.  Kent  not  only  plays  the  leads  in  countless 
photoplays,  but  not  infrequently  portrays  a  minor  role 
with  such  consummate  artistry  that  one  may  compre- 
hend the  significance  of  Commodore  Blackton's  ex- 
pressed ambition  to  create  within  the  Vitagraph  studio 
as  model  a  stock  organization  and  with  as  lofty  ideals 
as  have  made  the  name  of  Augustin  Daly  immortal  in 
stage  history.  As  Mr.  Kent  is  the  author  of  many 
photoplays,  in  not  all  of  which  he  appears,  and  as  he 
was  for  six  years  also  one  of  the  Vitagraph's  chief  di- 
rectors, his  influence  as  a  whole  in  the  company's  de- 
velopment will  be  apparent. 


122 Cfte   Cfteatte 

Maurice  Costello's  film  career  was  not  unlike  John 
Bunny's,  and  he,  like  his  mirth-making  colleague,  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Vitagraph  Stock  Company  since 
his  debut  on  the  screen.  I  recall  the  handsome  Cos- 
tello  as  a  popular  leading  juvenile,  with  various  stock 
companies,  and  have  always  maintained  that  the  now- 
celebrated  photoplayer  was  due  to  reach  New  York's 
theatre  zone.  Such  as  he  invariably,  too,  have  quickly 
scored  when  metropolitan  opportunity  was  theirs.  As 
it  happened,  Costello  made  his  impress  instanter  in 
filmdom,  because  he  invested  each  portrayal  with  a 
sort  of  realism  that  has  always  impressed  me  as  wholly 
untheatrical ;  in  fact,  it  is  this  simulation  of  "the  ac- 
tuality" that  illustrates  the  very  essence  of  the  motion 
picture  art.  Few  there  are  who  possess  this  quality, 
and  strangely  enough,  it  is  to  be  found  less  frequently 
among  experienced  actors  such  as  Costello  than  in  the 
"studio  product,"  such  as  Carlyle  Blackwell  and  J. 
Warren  Kerrigan,  two  young  men  who  played  to- 
gether a  few  years  ago  in  "Brown  of  Harvard."  Neith- 
er accomplished  anything  of  note  on  the  stage,  but 
both  are  veritable  stars  of  the  screen,  and  like  Cos- 
tello, they  are  handsome,  manly,  and  have  mastered 
the  technic  of  the  theatre  of  science.  Each  has  written 
many  successful  photoplays  and  all  have  incomes  now 
five  times  greater  than  the  best  they  ever  had  in  the 
older  field. 

In  the  Vitagraph  Company  are  a  few  players  who 
have  achieved  a  far  greater  fame  in  the  few  years  they 
have  been  identified  with  it  than  in  all  their  prolonged 
stage  careers.  Van  Dyke  Brooke's  influence  in  the 
Brooklyn  studio  is  probably  as  great  as  Kent's,  and 
that  is  the  best  tribute  I  can  pay  to  an  actor  of  the 
old  school,  who  after  a  quarter  of  a  century's  combat 


of    Science  323 

with  the  hardships  of  a  precarious  calling,  found  fame 
and  financial  reward,  so  hard  to  acquire  in  his  earlier 
career,  almost  from  the  very  outset  of  his  Vitagraph 
advent. 

Like  so  many  others,  Brooke  has  been  in  the  Vita- 
graph  Stock  Company  for  several  years.  I  saw  him 
portray  Armand  Duval  in  "Camille"  nearly  thirty 
years  ago.  The  performance,  aside  from  Brooke,  was 
so  primitive  that  I  wondered  how  he  came  to  be  in 
the  cast.  I  never  saw  him  again  in  the  flesh,  but  a 
score  or  more  of  his  film  creations  are  recorded  in  my 
diary.  Most  of  these  were  written  and  directed  by 
him,  for  Brooke  is,  indeed,  prolific  as  an  author,  ver- 
satile as  an  actor,  and  a  real  genius  in  staging  what 
the  Vitagraph  aptly  calls  its  "life  portrayals."  It  is, 
indeed,  an  inspiring  spectacle  to  witness  that  of  the 
patriarchs  of  the  stage  finding  in  the  theatre  of  sci- 
ence a  new  vogue  for  their  artistry — with  largely  in- 
creased compensation  and  enabled  to  enjoy  in  the 
evening  of  life  that  domesticity  that  was  never  theirs 
in  the  older  field.  If  the  craze  for  moving  pictures 
has  entailed  hardships  for  the  managerial  element  and 
has  changed  the  theatrical  map  from  coast  to  coast, 
this  is  due  greatly  to  the  reluctancy  of  theatrical  busi- 
ness men  to  recognize  the  opportunity  before  the  pub- 
lic demanded  a  better  return  for  its  money  paid  at 
their  box  offices. 

And  now  with  these  theatrical  managers  following 
the  lead  of  Daniel  Frohman  and  reducing  their  produc- 
tivity for  the  stage  to  embrace  the  more  popular  field, 
the  actor  is  due  to  enjoy  a  period  of  prosperity,  with 
a  far  greater  demand  for  his  services  than  has  ever 
existed  in  this  generation. 

William  Humphries  is  another  of  those  experienced 


Cfte    Cfteatre 


actors  whose  prolonged  career  on  the  stage  was  about 
on  an  even  plane,  scoring  many  notable  successes,  but 
always  escaping  stellar  honors,  though  I  recall 
Humphries  as  a  co-star  in  "More  Than  Queen,"  with 
Julia  Arthur  when  he  distinguished  himself  by  a  por- 
trayal none  of  us  will  ever  forget,  but  when  this  sterl- 
ing actor  joined  the  Vitagraph  Company  he  became 
almost  instantly  one  of  its  greatest  assets.  Again  may 
be  noted  the  triple  service  so  frequently  in  evidence  in 
the  film  studio,  for  Humphries,  like  the  Messrs.  Kent, 
Costello,  and  Brooke,  writes  many  of  the  photoplays 
he  appears  in,  and  directs  so  many  Vitagraph  produc- 
tions in  not  all  of  which  he  acts  himself,  that  lately 
he  is  seen  on  the  screen  too  rarely. 

Of  all  the  Vitagraph  players  with  long  careers  on 
the  regular  stage  to  their  credit,  Sydney  Drew  is  per- 
haps the  best  known,  because  he  has  been  appearing 
uninterruptedly  in  the  older  field  for  more  than  thirty 
years  and  was  practically  the  last  to  capitulate  to  the 
lure  of  the  studio.  Mr.  Drew  came  to  the  Brooklyn 
studio  in  1913  direct  from  a  vaudeville  career  wherein 
with  Mrs.  Drew,  he  appeared  almost  consecutively,  for 
more  than  seventeen  years,  yet  in  all  that  time  Mr. 
Drew  did  not  require  more  than  four  playlets,  one  of 
these,  "When  Two  Hearts  Are  One,"  had  a  practically 
uninterrupted  vogue  of  ten  years,  and  I  venture  to 
state  if  Drew  ever  does  return  to  vaudeville,  this  ve- 
hicle will  be  demanded  by  the  managers. 

I  was  particularly  interested  in  Mr.  Drew's  coming 
into  picturedom,  fully  aware  of  the  significance  of  the 
advent  therein  of  a  man  of  his  varied  talents,  who  had 
always  invested  his  stage  work  with  what  is  called 
character  drawing.  There  are  many  persons  of  high 
rating  in  the  theatrical  world  who  believe  that  Sydney 


of    Science 125 

Drew  is  a  better  actor,  generally  speaking,  than 
the  idolized  John  Drew.  As  the  latter  is  due  to  ap- 
pear on  the  screen,  this  is  a  question  that  may,  after 
all,  be  decided  by  the  tremendous  photoplay  public. 

I  am  reminded  here  of  a  rather  abrupt  answer  to 
this  question  given  by  a  still-living  Southern  man- 
ager, who  in  one  season  had  booked  John  and  Sydney 
Drew  with  separate  companies  about  six  weeks  apart. 
When  this  manager  came  to  New  York  in  the  summer 
to  book  attractions,  he  was  stopped  on  Broadway  by 
a  professional  friend,  who  ventured  to  discuss  con- 
ditions in  the  South.  Said  he : 

"I  see  you  played  both  John  and  Sydney  Drew  in 
Mobile.  Which  attracted  the  best?" 

"Well,  that's  easy,"  retorted  the  Southerner.  "John 
Drew  but  Sydney  didn't." 

Any  controversy  as  to  the  relative  artistic  qualities 
of  the  brothers  Drew,  if  decided  in  the  film  studio, 
may  have  a  final  result  quite  similar  to  others  which 
changed  conditions  in  the  amusement  field  have  creat- 
ed. In  one  Western  studio,  appearing  in  minor  roles, 
is  a  former  stage  celebrity  who  less  than  five  years 
ago  employed  his  present  director  at  a  weekly  salary 
of  $25,  while  the  director  referred  to  is  also  the  star 
of  the  productions  in  which  both  now  appear,  the  lat- 
ter finds  in  his  pay  envelope  each  seven  days  a  check 
written  in  four  figures.  While  this  is  an  exceptional 
case,  remarkable  changes  of  this  nature  may  be  noted 
in  almost  all  of  the  larger  film  organizations. 

As  for  Sydney  Drew,  when  he  decided  to  enter  the 
newer  field  about  a  year  ago,  he  was  fully  aware  of 
the  fact  that  his  hard-earned  reputation  would  count 
for  Httle.  To  the  writer  Drew  stated  that  he  was  at- 
tracted by  the  goal  of  "building  up  something";  in 


126 Cfte   Cfieatte 

fact,  was  impressed  with  the  idea  that  he  would  have 
to  "show  'em."  Mrs.  Drew  was  still  living,  but  in 
bad  health,  and  the  change  of  environment  meant  that 
the  family  would  all  be  occupied  in  the  same  line  of 
endeavor,  for  Mrs.  Drew  was  prolific  in  adapting  plays 
to  the  screen  and  evolving  original  scenarios  as  well, 
while  S.  Rankin  Drew,  the  idolized  son  almost  from 
the  outset,  scored  with  his  film  work. 

That  Mrs.  Drew's  demise  has  removed  from  picture- 
dom  an  author  whose  genius  found  expression  in  the 
theatre  of  science  was  best  illustrated  in  the  amazing 
success  of  "A  Million  Bid,"  which  was  adapted  from 
Mrs.  Drew's  play,  "Agnes."  The  influence  of  the 
Drews  in  the  Vitagraph  institution  was  apparent  to 
all  who  attended  the  premier  of  the  Vitagraph  The- 
atre. I  know  of  several  critics  and  stage  folk  who 
were  wont  to  "drop  in"  at  the  Vitagraph  Theatre 
at  least  once  a  week,  while  "Goodness  Gracious!" 
was  on  the  program.  In  all  his  career  Sydney  Drew 
never  revealed  himself  as  a  low  comedian  to  greater 
advantage.  In  this  production,  which  gave  blase  New 
York  playgoers  the  "time  of  their  lives,"  Clara  Kim- 
ball  Young  gave  a  performance  that  has  not  been  ex- 
celled on  stage  or  screen  in  modern  times. 

"A  Million  Bid"  was  directed  by  Ralph  Ince,  one 
of  three  brothers,  all  directors.  Ralph  Ince  rarely  acts, 
himself,  save  in  the  Abraham  Lincoln  photoplays. 
James  Young  directed  the  excruciatingly  funny  "Good- 
ness Gracious."  He  is  the  same  James  Young  who 
starred  in  "Brown  of  Harvard."  With  him  during  his 
starring  tours  were  the  two  "matinee  idols"  of  filmdom 
— Carlyle  Blackwell  and  J.  Warren  Kerrigan.  All 
three  to-day  are  influential  factors  in  the  photoplay 
field  as  directors,  authors  and  stars. 


of    Science 


In  the  enormous  roster  of  the  Vitagraph  players, 
one  may  observe  an  abundance  of  unfamiliar  names; 
at  least,  to  the  general  public,  but  whose  finished  char- 
acter drawings  stamp  them  instanter  as  graduates  of 
the  theatre  along  older  lines.  In  the  Vitagraph-  Lieb- 
ler  film  production  of  "The  Christian,"  the  John 
Storm  of  Earle  Williams  presented  an  interpretation 
almost  wholly  different  from  the  well-remembered 
portrayal  of  E.  J.  Morgan,  yet  in  the  first-night  audi- 
ence there  were  many  long-time  professionals  who  not 
only  expressed  a  preference  for  the  photoplayer, 
though  a  unit  in  the  belief  that  the  superb  text  of  the 
spoken  play  was  not  "put  over"  concretely  in  the  vis- 
ualization; nevertheless  not  one  of  these  gentlemen 
was  familiar  with  Mr.  Williams'  stage  career. 

Practically  the  same  discussion  was  in  evidence  dur- 
ing the  intermission  following  the  presentation  of  "A 
Million  Bid."  This  time  the  inquiries  were  confined  to 
the  two  "leads,"  Anita  Stewart  and  Harry  Morey. 
The  critic  of  the  largest  circulated  morning  newspaper 
insisted  that  he  had  never  seen  either  on  the  stage 
during  his  more  than  thirty  years'  incumbency  on  New 
York  dailies.  As  for  Miss  Stewart,  she  has  never  ap- 
peared on  the  stage  at  all,  but  Mr.  Morey  has  had  a 
long  career  on  the  boards.  No  one  who  saw  him  in 
"A  Million  Bid"  and  also  in  "Wild  Beasts  at  Large" 
can  doubt  that,  like  so  many  other  successful  photo- 
players,  he  has  had  prolonged  "stock"  experience. 

But  how  are  we  to  explain  the  versatility  of  Anita 
Stewart,  who  has  created  so  wide  a  range  of  charac- 
ters? Here,  indeed,  is  a  striking  illustration  of  genius 
finding  expression  first  in  the  film  studio.  Three  years 
ago  Miss  Stewart  was  unknown  even  in  filmdom.  To- 
day as  a  screen  star  she  has  a  following  so  large  and 


128 Cfte    Cfteatte 

in  so  many  countries  that  were  she  tempted  to  con- 
vert her  popularity  into  cash,  her  earnings  would  be 
on  a  par  with  that  of  the  prima  donnas  of  grand  opera. 

But  there  is  that  something  about  the  new  art  which 
holds  the  youthful  idols  of  the  people  so  fast  that  one 
rarely  may  observe  the  flitting  about  from  one  studio 
to  another,  so  characteristic  of  stage  business  proce- 
dure. Undoubtedly  Miss  Stewart  is  a  level-headed  girl 
who  recognizes  that  she  is  what  she  is  to-day  greatly 
because  of  the  scientific  factors  that  obtain  in  an  en- 
vironment to  which  she  is  passionately  attached. 

Miss  Stewart  is  the  sister-in-law  of  Ralph  Ince,  and 
the  latter  is  as  a  rule  the  director  of  the  productions  in 
which  she  appears.  If  Mr.  Blackton  and  his  artistic 
colleague,  Mr.  Smith,  can  formulate  a  policy  of  con- 
duct of  the  Vitagraph's  vast  stock  organization  that 
will  establish  the  permanency  in  the  ranks  of  those 
youthful  players  who  so  quickly  reveal  adaptability  to 
the  motion  picture  art,  they  will  have  a  school  of  act- 
ing fully  as  important  in  this  era  of  the  theatre  as  that 
of  Augustin  Daly,  who  developed  the  careers  of  a 
score  or  more  of  players  who  became  a  vital  part  of 
stage  history  of  the  last  half  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

At  all  of  the  Vitagraph  Premieres  a  social  atmos- 
phere such  as  Commodore  Blackton  is  wont  to  invest 
all  Vitagraph  gala  nights  with  contributed  a  glamour 
to  these  affairs  which  so  impressed  Alan  Dale,  the 
critic  of  the  "New  York  American,"  that  he  has  be- 
come a  veritable  "fan"  himself.  Truly,  the  intimacy 
that  is  established  at  these  inaugural  gatherings  is  in- 
spiring. It  was  a  picturesque  spectacle,  indeed,  when 
in  a  truly  realistic  manner  some  two  score  of  the  best 
known  of  the  Vitagraph  players  faced  the  audience, 
bowing  to  the  applause  one  after  the  other.  So  de- 


J.  SEARLE  DAWLEY 

Director  of  the  first  Famous  Players  productions 


LLOYD  B.  CARLETON 

Director  Feature  Films  (Lubin  Film  Co. 


FREDERICK  A.  THOMPSON 

Director  and  Producer  of  Famous  Players  Co. 


RALPH  INCE 
Director 


RALPH  INCE  AS  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 


of    Science 


ceiving  was  this  novel  introduction  that  more  than 
one  of  the  spectators  thought  that  the  players  were 
present  in  the  flesh. 

As  a  fact,  this  was  true  in  that  nearly  all  of  the 
ladies  and  gentlemen  were  seated  throughout  the  audi- 
torium imparting  to  the  eventful  occasion  just  the  sort 
of  glamour  that  would  have  attracted  half  of  Greater 
New  York  to  the  playhouse  had  this  feature  been  ad- 
vertised in  advance  ;  but  there  were  present,  too,  not  a 
few  persons  who  did  not  hesitate  to  deplore  the  per- 
sonal presence  of  so  many  screen  favorites,  claiming 
that  it  was  calculated  to  destroy  the  illusion,  that  it 
would  tend  to  impress  the  photoplay  patron  with  the 
idea  that,  after  all,  his  idols  were  much  like  ordinary 
mortals  —  in  fact,  merely  human. 

At  the  premier  of  "The  Christian"  at  the  majestic 
Manhattan  Opera  House,  the  principals  in  the  cast 
were  conspicuously  on  view  in  the  boxes,  and  the  spec- 
tacle of  John  Storm,  holding  a  reception  first  in  one 
box  and  then  in  another  just  before  his  great  scene 
with  Glory  Quayle,  when,  while  mentally  unbal- 
anced, Storm  is  revealed  as  a  brute  in  minister's  garb, 
the  majority  of  the  audience  was  intensely  interested, 
many  apparently  not  comprehending  the  meaning  of 
so  unusual  a  sight. 

The  closest  scrutiny  on  the  part  of  the  writer  failed 
to  discover  the  presence  of  Harry  Northrup,  whose 
portrayal  of  Lord  Robert  Urie,  in  "The  Christian,'* 
was  surely  very  artistic.  For  once,  the  role  of  a  vil- 
lain was  enacted  for  the  benefit  of  the  ensemble. 
Northrup  emphasized  the  repulsive  side  of  the  charac- 
ter with  little  need  of  subtitles  or  inserts.  Here  was  a 
demonstration  of  silent  acting  worth  going  far  to  wit- 
ness. The  shrug  of  a  shoulder,  the  consummately  ar- 


130 Cfte    Cftcatre 

tistic  use  of  a  monocle,  and  the  never  apparent  effort  to 
create  sympathy  for  Storm  and  Glory  by  empha- 
sizing his  villainy,  represented  the  nearest  approach  to 
a  pantomimic  triumph  which  in  another  age  was  called 
"plays  without  words"  that  the  motion-picture  art  has 
ever  recorded. 

James  Lackaye  is  one  of  the  recent  additions  to  the 
Vitagraph  players,  but  who  quickly  demonstrated  his 
fitness  for  pictorial  plays.  Etienne  Girardot  came  to 
the  Brooklyn  studio  even  more  recently.  The  latter 
has  as  yet  not  had  a  chance  to  create  a  character  of 
the  calibre  of  "Charley's  Aunt,'*  but  on  the  other  hand 
has  shown  that  he  is  exceptionally  versatile. 

The  ladies  of  the  Vitagraph  stock  company  have 
nearly  all  had  stage  careers,  though  quite  a  number 
who  were  hardly  known  on  the  stage  became  celebri- 
ties through  their  screen  work.  Edith  Storey  came  to 
the  company  as  a  child  already  experienced  in  the  vi- 
cissitudes of  the  theatre.  This  young  lady  has  under- 
taken about  everything  in  the  line  of  intrepidity  that 
a  moving-picture  actress  must  always  be  prepared  for. 
When  New  York  audiences  were  applauding  her 
Glory  Quayle,  Miss  Storey  was  three  thousand  miles 
away  from  the  Manhattan  Opera  House,  rehearsing 
before  the  camera  a  daring  series  of  pictures.  When 
asked  why  she  takes  chances  of  this  nature,  her  reply 
was  characteristic  of  the  modern  photoplayer.  Said 
Miss  Storey :  "One  is  led  on  through  sheer  enthusiasm, 
prompted  greatly,  too,  by  a  desire  to  please  the  direc- 
tor and,  above  all,  the  heads  of  the  institution  to  whom 
we  all  owe  our  advance  in  the  ranks." 

This  remark  of  Miss  Storey's  recalls  to  my  mind 
that  when  Florence  Turner,  "the  Vitagraph  Girl,"  left 
the  organization  after  the  most  prolonged  consecutive 


•THE  CHRISTIAN" 


"THE  CHRISTIAN" 

Two  Scenes  from  "The  Christian"  a  Vitagfaph-Liebler  Production 


of    Science 


service  in  film  history,  I  expressed  regret  to  Commo- 
dore Blackton,  who  was  quick  to  justify  Miss  Turner's 
ambitions  to  convert  her  fame  into  cash  by  way  of 
vaudeville.  "Besides,"  said  Mr.  Blackton,  "there  are 
other  Vitagraph  girls  coming  on." 

Lillian  Walker's  personality  is  of  the  type  that  rarely 
fails  to  conjure  on  the  stage  ;  yet  I  have  the  lady's  word 
for  it  that  she  discovered  quickly  that  she  lacked  that 
great  essential  for  a  stage  career  —  a  resonant  voice  — 
nevertheless,  in  my  own  experience  in  the  theatre,  I 
never  knew  the  Lillian  Walker  type  of  actress  to  fail, 
even  if  a  good  speaking  or  singing  voice  was  lacking. 
Therefore,  it  is  not  surprising  that  almost  from  the  day 
of  her  advent  in  the  Vitagraph  studio  Miss  Lillian 
has  been  a  prime  favorite. 

But  Lillian  Walker  has  scored  as  she  has  in  filmdom 
for  other  reasons  than  her  beauty.  The  lady  takes  her 
work  very  seriously,  and  is,  after  all,  an  artiste  whose 
widely  varied  portrayals  run  practically  the  entire  gam- 
ut of  characterization.  One  need  only  inquire  of  Miss 
Walker's  artistic  colleagues  to  learn  that  "Dimples," 
as  she  is  affectionately  called,  is  always  the  lovable, 
ingratiating  woman  who  rarely  has  a  grievance,  and 
who  has  repeatedly  appeared  on  the  screen  in  minor 
and  ungrateful  roles  without  a  protest.  More  than  once 
this  beautiful  woman  has  portrayed  a  repulsive  old  hag 
artistically  and  with  not  an  inkling  of  a  desire  to  reveal 
her  true  self.  This  is  true  art,  and  there  is  so  much  of 
it  at  the  Locust  Avenue  Studio  that  it  is  about  time 
someone  undertook  to  explain  from  whence  the  Vita- 
graph's  artistic  expansion  emanates. 

J.  Stuart  Blackton  and  Albert  Smith  brought  with 
them  to  the  Vitagraph  organization  at  the  outset  the 
qualifications  of  the  artist  and  the  inventive  genius. 


132 C&e    Cfjeatte 

Both  are  adepts  in  every  phase  of  the  motion-picture 
art.  While  Blackton,  as  he  became  wealthy  and  influ- 
ential, has  developed  a  veritable  passion  for  uplifting 
policies,  Mr.  Rock's  qualifications  are  more  toward  the 
Vitagraph's  business  expansion  than  its  artistic  or  me- 
chanical development.  One  of  the  first  of  the  pioneers 
to  enrich  himself  as  an  exhibitor  of  films,  he  is  to-day 
as  incessant  a  toiler  as  one  may  find  in  the  entire  film 
industry.  Together  these  gentlemen  form  a  triumvi- 
rate which  in  this  year — 1914 — is  merely  indicating 
that  the  vital  era  of  their  vast  productivity  is  at  hand. 

The  Kalem  Company  was  one  of  the  very  earliest  of 
film-producing  houses  to  present  the  now  common 
"features,"  requiring  thousands  of  feet  of  film  and  in- 
volving prolonged  preparation  and  vast  expenditure. 
Its  production  of  "From  the  Manger  to  the  Cross,"  as 
stated  in  another  chapter,  was  unquestionably  the  most 
ambitious  undertaking  that  had  ever  been  attempted 
by  an  American  producer,  and  there  are  those  who  be- 
lieve that  even  at  this  late  day  a  metropolitan  showing 
with  due  regard  to  environment  and  appropriate  musi- 
cal accompaniment,  would  result  in  a  prolonged  public 
response,  not  only  in  the  Metropolis,  but  throughout 
the  country,  where  other  pictorial  productions  of  the 
biblical  spectacle  have  attracted  great  crowds,  particu- 
larly during  the  present  year. 

The  Kalems  have  been  noted  for  a  reluctancy  to 
change  the  personnel  of  their  stock  companies,  though 
adding  to  the  numbers  materially  as  the  vogue  of  their 
productions  demanded  expansion.  Nevertheless,  most 
of  the  stars  of  the  Kalem  productions  either  began  with 
that  organization,  or  else  have  been  with  it  for  sev- 
eral years.  Alice  Joyce  was  undoubtedly  a  great  at- 
traction almost  from  the  day  she  began  to  pose  before 


of    Science 


the  camera,  and  here  we  have  a  true  illustration  of  the 
motion-picture  actress.  Miss  Joyce  had  no  stage  ex- 
perience whatever.  Like  Anita  Stewart,  Dorothy  Kel- 
ly, Margaret  Gibson,  and  Naomi  Childers  (all  Vita- 
graph  players),  Miss  Joyce  revealed  adaptability  to  the 
new  art,  and  within  a  year  after  her  advent  in  the  Ka- 
lem  studio  had  created  a  tremendous  public  following. 
An'  extremely  beautiful  girl,  with  a  refinement  of  ar- 
tistic demeanor  rarely  observed  on  the  speaking  stage, 
Miss  Joyce  has  in  many  ways  shown  a  singular  aver- 
sion for  such  customs  as  have  been  characteristic  of 
the  "new  celebrity"  in  the  field  of  the  theatre.  For  in- 
stance, the  young  lady  has  remained  with  the  Kalems 
in  the  face  of  offers  that  a  Metropolitan  Opera  House 
diva  might  envy.  And  Alice  Joyce  has  persistently 
refused  offers  to  "star"  on  the  speaking  stage,  fully 
cognizant  that  these  offers  are  inspired  through  her 
success  with  the  Kalems.  Whether  Miss  Joyce,  like 
Lillian  Walker,  is  aware  of  some  disqualification  for  a 
stage  career,  I  cannot  say.  Miss  Walker  told  me  that 
her  speaking  voice  was  so  thin  that  the  other  players 
could  not  hear  her  cues  ;  but  in  the  case  of  Miss  Joyce, 
if  one  may  judge  from  her  splendid  pantomimic  ex- 
pression of  speech  and  the  very  distinct  movement  of 
her  lips,  there  is  nothing  to  indicate  that  she  could  not 
become  a  valuable  addition  to  the  stage. 

Alice  Joyce,  as  Rosalind,  under  a  director  like  Be- 
lasco,  may  yet  be  a  possibility.  At  least,  one  Broad- 
way manager  has  expressed  confidence  that  the  Kalem 
star  would,  under  competent  exploitation  and  expert 
coaching,  turn  out  to  be  a  second  Adelaide  Neilson. 

William  Hermann  West,  of  the  Kalem  company,  has 
been  with  that  organization  for  several  years.  If  he 
has  ever  acted  for  any  other  film  company,  I  am  not 


134 Cfte   Cfteam 

aware  of  it.  Mr.  West's  long  stage  career  was  princi- 
pally devoted  to  comic  opera,  and  that  statement  re- 
calls the  fact  that  there  are  not  a  few  former  light  opera 
favorites  profitably  engaged  in  film  work.  Henry  Hal- 
lam,  long  with  the  Kalem  company,  not  so  long  ago 
was  a  Casino  tenor,  who  created  many  important  roles 
in  comic  opera.  Tom  Ricketts,  of  the  American  Film 
Company — one  of  the  best  directors  of  to-day — was  the 
comedian  of  one  light-opera  company  for  more  than 
ten  years.  Later,  Ricketts  had  his  own  opera  com- 
pany, and  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  best  stage  direc- 
tors in  the  operatic  field.  Peter  Lang,  long  with  the 
Lubin  Company,  sang  heroic  operatic  characters  with 
the  Bostonians  and  other  organizations.  Julia  Cal- 
houn,  of  the  same  organization,  is  the  widow  of  Kirk- 
land  Calhoun.  Both  were  principals  of  the  Calhoun  and 
other  opera  companies.  The  Calhouns  were  members 
of  the  Grau  Opera  Company,  under  the  writer's  di- 
rection in  the  early  nineties. 

Louise  Beaudet,  of  the  Vitagraph  Company,  was  a 
comic-opera  queen  in  the  80's.  Few  careers  of  stage 
celebrities  provide  greater  or  more  varied  achievement 
than  that  of  the  "Lady  dainty"  of  a  generation  ago, 
whose  sensational  success  in  Lecocq's  "Le  Petit  Due" 
(in  which  she  assumed  the  title  role  in  English,  and 
later  in  French),  at  Booth's  Theatre,  in  New  York, 
was  not  forgotten  by  the  critic,  Alan  Dale,  when  the 
screen  revealed  Miss  Beaudet  at  the  premiere  of  the 
Vitagraph  Theatre.  In  that  first-night  audience  there 
were  many  others  who  had  wondered  what  had  be- 
come of  the  little  artiste  who,  in  "Madame  Fifi,"  gave 
a  performance  of  an  extremely  difficult  role  which  in 
any  other  hands  would  have  been  repulsive. 

Louise  Beaudet  is  yet  in  her  prime,  and  I  have  ob- 


HARRY  T.  MOREY 

(Vitagraph) 


LOUISE  BEAUDET 

(Vitagraph) 


AN  ACTUAL  STUDIO  SETTING 

(Vitagraph) 


c  f    Science 135 

served  that  as  a  photoplayer  she  is  gradually  being  ac- 
corded a  greater  prominence,  which  fact  must  eventu- 
ally bring  about  an  opportunity  such  as  has  not  been 
hers  in  many  years.  The  Vitagraph's  directors  have  at 
their  call  a  truly  great  artiste,  whose  rendition  of  a 
score  of  prima-donna  roles  were  not  nearly  as  notable 
as  were  her  portrayals  of  parts  like  Lady  Macbeth, 
Juliet,  Portia,  Ophelia,  and  the  like;  and  if  the 
camera  does  not  lie,  there  is  not  the  slightest  indica- 
tion that  the  art  of  Louise  Beaudet  is  less  existent  or 
less  compelling  at  this  time. 

Ruth  Roland,  of  the  Kalem  Company,  is  one  more 
of  those  youthful  women  whose  unblemished  physical 
charms  lend  particularly  to  screen  work ;  but  Miss  Ro- 
land is  also  an  actress.  Whether  this  unctuous  com- 
edienne owes  her  fame  entirely  to  the  camera  man,  I 
am  unable  to  state;  but  hers  is  a  face  not  easily  for- 
gotten, and  I  cannot  recall  the  lady's  appearance  on  the 
regular  stage.  But  it  is  only  a  truth  to  state  that  in 
the  photoplay  field  there  is  no  more  winsome  personal- 
ity. Like  many  of  her  colleagues,  Miss  Roland  has 
been  called  upon  repeatedly  to  embark  in  expeditions 
wherein  almost  every  feat  of  daring  imaginable  has 
been  indulged  in;  but  in  this  lady's  instance  the  spec- 
tator is  impressed  at  once  by  her  athletic  physical  ap- 
pearance, expert  equestrienneship,  and  a  tendency  to 
feel  at  home  in  the  water,  whether  it  be  an  intrepid 
dive  into  the  high  seas  or  the  manning  of  sea  craft  from 
stem  to  stern  amidst  precarious  surroundings. 

Rosemary  Theby,  now  with  the  Lubin  Film  Com- 
pany, in  a  career  of  less  than  three  years'  duration,  no 
part  of  which  was  spent  on  the  stage,  has  illustrated 
once  more  how  different  are  the  conditions  in  the  two 
fields  of  entertainment.  Miss  Theby  joined  the  Vita- 


136 Cbe   Cfjeatte 

graph  Company  in  1911,  and  was  almost  instantane- 
ously accorded  important  parts.  It  is  hard  to  believe 
that  this  painstaking  artiste  never  even  studied  for  the 
stage;  yet  she  has  become  one  of  the  foremost  stars 
of  the  screen.  It  is  a  singular  fact,  too,  that  despite 
her  youth  and  physical  attractions,  the  directors  have 
invariably  cast  Miss  Theby  for  what  are  called  adven- 
turess roles,  perhaps  because  of  no  alternative  in  that 
this  type  of  character  is  usually  poorly  presented  on 
the  screen.  After  leaving  the  Vitagraph,  Miss  Theby 
played  leads  and  heavies  for  the  Reliance  Company, 
where,  under  Oscar  Apfel,  she  made  rapid  strides,  re- 
vealing marked  versatility. 

Crane  Wilbur,  of  the  Pathe  organization,  had  an  im- 
portant stage  career,  and  for  a  period  had  his  own 
company  on  tour;  but  this  virile,  impressive  player 
found  far  greater  favor  with  the  public  when  he  be- 
came a  film  star.  At  the  time  of  this  writing,  Mr.  Wil- 
bur is  appearing  in  the  Pathe-Eclectic  production,  "The 
Perils  of  Pauline,"  and  as  a  result  of  a  forceful  por- 
trayal and  an  amazing  national  publicity  has  become 
one  of  those  celebrities  of  picturedom  whose  fame  ex- 
tends throughout  the  world  and  whose  face  is  known 
to  half  of  mankind  at  least. 

Blanch  Sweet  is  the  name  of  a  former  Biograph  play- 
er, whose  fame  would  be  far  greater  to-day  but  for 
the  long-time  policy  of  that  organization  to  place  an 
embargo  on  personal  publicity.  But  when  D.  W.  Grif- 
fith left  the  Biograph  Company  to  become  conspicuous 
as  the  $100,000-a-year  director  of  the  Mutual  brand  of 
films,  he  took  with  him  to  Los  Angeles  a  number  of 
youthful  screen  favorites,  all  of  whom  have  now  be- 
come recognized  as  of  stellar  timber. 

That  Miss  Sweet  represents  to  a  great  extent  the 


0  f      ©  C  1 1  tt  1 1  137 

Griffith  idea  of  what  a  photoplayer  should  be,  is  appar- 
ent from  the  fact  that  the  young  lady's  portrayals  are 
vested  with  a  naturalism  so  far  away  from  the  average 
stage  interpreter  of  characters  that  one  may  under- 
stand Mr.  Griffith's  theory,  that  the  photoplayer  to 
achieve  the  best  results  is  the  one  who  has  nothing  to 
unlearn.  Miss  Sweet  has  achieved  equal  success  in 
light  and  serious  characters,  and  has  been  particularly 
happy  in  historical  roles,  her  "Judith  of  Bethulia" 
standing  out  as  one  of  the  best  conceived  portrayals  of 
the  modern  photoplay  era. 

Mabel  Normand  is  now  better  known  than  many  of 
the  stage  stars  with  prolonged  careers  to  their  credit. 
Yet  it  is  only  since  she  left  the  Biograph  Company, 
less  than  two  years  ago,  that  her  name  was  revealed  to 
the  millions  of  patrons  of  the  photoplayhouse  to  whom 
she  was  endeared.  In  her  Biograph  days,  Miss  Nor- 
mand displayed  marked  versatility,  in  that  while  com- 
edy roles  predominated,  frequently  she  was  enabled  to 
portray  characters  of  sterling  quality,  requiring  ability 
to  simulate  varied  emotions.  And  it  was  in  one  of 
these  portrayals  that  I  was  first  brought  to  realize  the 
significance  of  Mr.  Griffith's  contribution  to  the  art  of 
photoplaying — that  of  the  so-called  "close  up." 

Now  that  Miss  Normand  is  winning  added  renown 
with  the  Keystone  brand  of  films,  there  must  be  many 
like  myself  who,  while  grateful  for  the  intensely 
amusing  releases  of  that  comedy-producing  organiza- 
tion, would  welcome  just  a  little  variation  in  the  style 
of  Miss  Normand's  vehicles,  for  no  one  can  doubt  that 
the  intensity  of  her  dramatic  expression,  so  evident  in 
her  Biograph  days,  must  have  developed  during  her 
prolonged  experience  in  the  West.  Long  before  I 
knew  her  name,  I  was  impressed  with  Miss  Normand's 


138 CSe   CSeatre 

intelligent  grasp  on  what  Max  Reinhardt  is  pleased  to 
call  "pantomimic  characterization." 

Pearl  White,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  women  before 
the  public  to-day,  like  Miss  Normand,  has  revealed  a 
wide  range  of  portrayals,  with  comedy  predominating. 
Yet  while  with  the  American  branch  of  the  Pathe 
Freres  organization,  Miss  White  frequently  was  seen 
in  serious,  if  not  pretentious,  characters.  Expert  as  a 
horsewoman,  intrepid  to  an  extent  that  has  earned  her 
many  encomiums  from  the  camera  man  and  some  con- 
solation for  the  resultant  hardships  endured,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  she  was  selected  to  create  the  name  role 
in  the  Eclectic-Pathe  serial  photoplay,  "The  Perils  of 
Pauline,"  a  production  that  has  provided  Miss  White 
with  an  opportunity  to  indulge  in  about  every  feat  of 
daring  that  the  prolific  scenario  writer  could  conceive. 

In  the  Thanhouser  organization,  the  gifted  and 
youthful  photoplayer  has  been  in  evidence  from  the 
very  outset  of  this  company's  progressive  productivity. 
Such  a  trio  of  prepossessing  and  talented  young  ladies 
as  are  now  cast  for  the  Thanhouser  leads  reflects  no 
little  credit  on  Lloyd  Lonergan,  who  is  the  artistic 
head  of  the  New  Rochelle  institution.  These  three 
players  are  now  featured,  which  is  significant  in  view 
of  the  fact  that  as  recently  as  two  years  ago  the  names 
of  even  the  representative  photoplayers  were  not  re- 
vealed. 

The  Thanhouser  policy,  however,  has  been  progres- 
sive and  stimulating  at  all  times,  its  founder  having 
come  into  the  new  field  direct  from  a  prolonged  stage 
experience  in  the  West,  where  Edwin  Thanhouser 
achieved  an  enviable  reputation  through  his  conduct  of 
model  stock  companies.  The  influence  of  Edwin  Than- 
houser, following  the  advent  of  the  photoplay  era,  can- 


CHARLES  J.  KITE 

President  Thanhouser  Film  Corporation;    Vice-president  Mutual  Film  Corporation; 
President  Broadway  Rose  Gardens 


of    Science 139 

not  be  overestimated.  His  retirement  from  the  institu- 
tion that  bears  his  name  has  never  been  adequately  ex- 
plained, but  it  is  only  fair  to  state  that  he  was  the  first 
producer  to  delve  deeply  into  historical  literature ;  and 
he  presented  on  the  screen  a  far  higher  grade  of  pro- 
ductions in  1911  than  was  to  be  witnessed  in  that  year 
elsewhere.  Moreover,  Mr.  Thanhouser  was  the  first 
producer  to  present  in  one  production  an  array  of  well- 
known  names,  the  presentation  of  "Nicholas  Nickleby" 
entailing  the  longest  cast  of  actual  players  up  to  that 
time.  No  less  than  six  stars,  all  of  whom  were  still 
potent  on  the  speaking  stage,  were  cast  for  roles.  Not 
one  of  these  was  featured,  and  at  least  two  assumed 
minor  roles — a  concession  too  rarely  on  view  in  the 
older  field. 

It  is  therefore  to  the  credit  of  Charles  J.  Hite  and 
his  associates  that  when  they  assumed  control  of  the 
Thanhouser  plant  the  policies  of  the  founder  were  per- 
petuated, which  accounts  for  the  wealth  of  youthful 
and  talented  players  to-day  at  the  disposition  of  the 
company's  directing  forces.  Marguerite  Snow,  Flor- 
ence La  Badie,  and  Muriel  Ostriche  represent  the  trio 
of  stellar  figures,  previously  indicated  by  the  writer. 
All  have  had  stage  careers.  Miss  Snow,  however,  must 
be  set  down  as  a  Thanhouser  "find,"  and  the  lady  will 
admit  she  found  herself  in  that  organization.  To  those 
who  can  recall  the  widely  varied  portrayals  to  her 
credit,  there  is  no  need  of  qualification;  but  it  so  hap- 
pened that  I  was  privileged  in  one  evening  to  witness 
two  Thanhouser  productions  which  revealed  Miss 
Snow  as  a  real  "stock"  acquisition.  In  the  first  release 
as  a  New  York.tough  girl  in  "Little  Old  New  York," 
one  could  enjoy  that  rare  treat:  A  big  city  life  por- 
trayal that  was  truthful,  unexaggerated,  and  never  of- 


140 Clje    Cfjeatre 

fensive;  yet^Miss  Snow  used  not  a  particle  of  "make- 
up" and  as  a  result  of  adept  pantomimic  expression 
"put  it  oyer"  without  as  much  as  one  insert  or  subtitle 
that  included  any  explanations  of  this  particular  char- 
acter. "Slang"  such  as  is  a  requisite  for  this  type  of 
play  was  wholly  tabooed,  the  director  evidently  desir- 
ing to  experiment  with  clean  pantomime  suggestive  of 
country  and  city  life.  In  this  he  succeeded  surely. 

The  second  production  of  the  evening  was  "Carmen," 
a  superb  and  accurate  presentation  of  the  operatic  ver- 
sion without  adequate  musical  accompaniment.  Un- 
doubtedly this  release  was  intended  to  require  an  elab- 
orate musical  setting.  Nothing  that  has  been  presented 
since  has  contributed  to  a  greater  extent  to  the  motion 
pictures'  scope  of  interpretation.  Here,  indeed,  was  an 
opportunity  to  at  least  see  the  great  operatic  spectacles 
over  which  the  nation  has  raved,  without  paying  pro- 
hibitive prices  for  seats.  Had  the  musical  side  of  the 
production  been  what  it  undoubtedly  was  intended  to 
be,  the  importance  of  the  effort  as  a  whole  was  unques- 
tionable. (At  a  later  day  the  writer  viewed  the  Than- 
houser  production  of  "Tannheiiser,"  with  the  Wagner 
score  providing  the  musical  accompaniment.) 

Miss  Snow,  as  "Carmen,"  showed  an  amazing  con- 
ception of  so  difficult  a  role  for  one  whose  environment 
has  been  removed  from  important  creative  opportunity. 
Not  even  the  all-compelling  influence  of  the  present- 
day  director  can  account  for  such  a  portrayal,  and  if 
this  is  a  tribute,  it  is  nevertheless  forthcoming,  and 
that,  too,  from  one  who  has  seen  and  heard  all  of  the 
"Carmens"  of  two  generations.  Miss  Snow  is  not  a 
Calve  dramatically,  nor  an  Olga  Nethersole,  but  as  an 
illustration  of  studio  achievement  this  performance  was 
representative. 


of    Science 


Pearl  Sindelar  has  established  a  record  as  a  photo- 
player  so  unusual  that  wholly  apart  from  her  two  years 
with  the  Biograph  and  Pathe  organizations  —  replete  as 
they  were  with  noteworthy  achievement  —  this  lady  has 
the  unique  reputation  of  being  the  first  screen  star  who 
not  only  has  come  to  Broadway  from  the  film  studio 
to  assume  an  important  role  on  the  stage,  but  she  is 
still  playing  the  "leads"  for  the  Pathe  organization  in 
the  days  when  there  are  no  matinees  at  George  Co- 
han's theatre,  where  Miss  Sindelar  has  replaced  Louise 
Dresser  in  that  overwhelming  success,  "Potash  and 
Perlmutter." 

Miss  Sindelar  has  been  on  the  stage  since  she  was 
ten  years  old.  For  several  seasons  she  was  a  "head- 
liner"  in  the  vaudevilles  ;  but  her  success  as  a  film  star 
has  been  far  greater  than  her  dramatic  and  vaudeville 
efforts.  That  she  was  engaged  by  so  astute  a  man- 
ager as  Al.  H.  Woods  to  play  an  almost  star  role  is 
proof  that  the  excursion  from  the  Broadway  playhouse 
to  the  film  studio  and  vice  versa  can  be  conducted  by 
real  artists  with  grace,  dignity,  and  profit. 

Mary  Pickford  had  an  experience  quite  similar  to 
Miss  Sindelar's,  save  that  while  Little  Mary  has  gone 
from  the  stage  to  pictures  and  back  again  to  the  stage, 
there  is  no  information  available  that  she  posed  before 
the  camera  during  the  greater  part  of  the  run  of  "The 
Good  Little  Devil."  At  no  time  did  Miss  Pickford  pre- 
fer the  stage,  however. 

In  four  years  "Little  Mary"  has  not  only  become  a 
veritable  queen  of  the  photoplay  world  with  her  earn- 
ings increased  tenfold,  but  she  had  the  distinction  of 
creating  the  leading  role  in  a  Belasco  production  be- 
cause of  her  success  in  photoplays.  It  was  with  Mr. 
Belasco  that  Miss  Pickford  became  proficient  as  an 


142  Cfte   C&eatrc 

actress,  and  when  she  returned  to  his  management  di- 
rect from  her  screen  triumphs  her  pay  envelope  con- 
tained an  increase  of  1000  per  cent  over  that  previously 
accorded  to  her  by  the  same  producing  manager.  Yet 
Mary  was  not  happy,  despite  overwhelming  publicity 
and  all  of  the  honors  meted  out  to  a  successful  star  in 
a  Broadway  production. 

Besides,  the  call  for  her  return  to  the  film  studio  was 
insistent.  Whether  Miss  Pickford's  desire  to  resume 
her  film  career  was  effective  in  curtailing  the  vogue  of 
"The  Good  Little  Devil"  as  a  stage  attraction  or  not,  it 
is  certain  that  its  production  as  a  photoplay,  with  Little 
Mary  in  her  original  role  of  the  blind  girl,  had  a  tre- 
mendous appeal  with  photoplaygoers.  One  may  only 
conjecture  as  to  what  measure  of  success  would  result 
in  the  event  that  the  spoken  play  will  be  revived  with 
Miss  Pickford  as  the  star. 

This  is  one  phase  of  the  present  theatrical  situation 
that  is  more  widely  discussed  than  any  other  because 
of  the  many  stage  stars  and  productions  now  relegated 
to  photoplay  exploitation.  Daniel  Frohman  and  others 
experienced  in  both  fields  have  stated  that  the  result- 
ant effect  of  the  movement  has  been  to  enlarge  the 
public  following  when  these  stage  favorites  returned  to 
the  older  field.  It  would  be  interesting,  indeed,  to  ob- 
serve the  outcome  of  a  well-developed  plan  to  convert 
the  popularity  of  a  Mary  Pickford  into  a  gold-laden 
theatrical  attraction. 

The  success  of  John  Bunny,  Francis  Bushman,  and 
Florence  Turner,  when  appearing  in  vaudeville  or  in 
person  in  photoplayhouses,  despite  all  the  discussion 
as  to  the  advisability  of  such  procedure,  has  not  as  yet 
indicated  any  decline  in  their  vogue  as  film  stars ;  but 
these  are  real  film  stars,  not  merely  temporary  con- 


MRS.  FISKE  AS  "TESS" 
(Famous  Players  Co.) 


MARY  PICKFORD  IN  "IN  THE  BISHOP'S  CARRIAGE' 

(Famous  Players  Co.) 


' 


of    Science 


verts,  therefore  the  question  as  to  the  significance  of 
the  theatrical  procession  from  Broadway's  theatre  zone 
to  the  film  studio,  being  that  this  is  really  a  1914  move- 
ment, will  be  fully  comprehended  when  the  season  of 
1914-15  is  in  full  swing. 

There  is  no  question  but  that  despite  the  tremendous 
salaries  paid  to  certain  legitimate  stars  to  appear  in 
vaudeville,  the  aftermath  of  such  engagements  has  not 
been  constructive.  Ethel  Barrymore,  for  instance,  was 
paid  $3,000  a  week  in  vaudeville  (not  so  long  ago  the 
writer  paid  the  Barrymore  family,  including  the  late 
Maurice  Barrymore,  $400  a  week).  Her  earnings  for 
part  of  one  season  were  close  to  $100,000  ;  but,  consid- 
ering her  youth,  this  was  a  risky  capitulation  to  the 
lure  of  a  temporary  harvest. 

The  writer  has  always  maintained  that  certain  stars 
and  well-known  stage  folk  are  immune  from  any  ill 
consequences  attending  these  temporary  changes  in  en- 
vironment. For  instance,  an  Eddie  Foy  or  a  George 
Cohan,  or  even  an  Elsie  Janis  can  make  these  excur- 
sions from  one  field  to  the  other  and  back  again  with- 
out the  least  loss  of  prestige.  In  my  vaudeville  days 
the  spectacle  of  an  Elsie  Janis  receiving  $125  a  week  in 
one  season  and  $3,000  the  next  was  not  uncommon. 

But  I  never  knew  of  any  great  dramatic  stars  retain- 
ing their  full  vogue  after  a  vaudeville  excursion,  and 
most  of  these  stars  had  short  careers  in  the  "two  a 
day."  "Once  around"  was  the  most  to  be  hoped  for, 
and  the  most  of  them  were  humiliated  by  an  almost 
uniform  desire  on  the  part  of  managers  to  "cut"  the 
weekly  stipends  or  to  even  cancel  their  engagements 
after  the  first  two  or  three  vaudeville  managers  had 
the  benefit  of  their  fame  and  drawing  power. 

This  subject  is  treated  here  because  of  the  near  ap- 


144  c&e    C&eatre 

proach  of  similar  conditions  in  filmdom  wherein  the 
writer  hopes  to  establish  a  clarified  viewpoint  for  those 
whom  such  conditions  might  influence. 

Mrs.  Langtry  never  attracted  a  paying  audience  to 
an  American  playhouse  after  she  accepted  $2,500  a 
week  in  vaudeville.  May  Irwin  was  wont  to  pack  the- 
atres all  over  the  country,  but  from  the  very  day  that 
she  accepted  $2,500  a  week  in  vaudeville — and  for  a 
very  few  weeks,  too — her  vogue,  even  in  New  York 
City,  as  a  legitimate  star  declined ;  and  this,  too,  in  the 
face  of  the  known  fact  that  her  last  play  was  her  best. 

Not  one  grand  opera  star  who  appeared  in  vaude- 
ville through  necessity  or  convenience  ever  found  the 
public  or  the  managers  receptive  thereafter.  Tavary, 
Mantelli,  Del  Puente,  Italo  Campanini,  Suzanne 
Adams,  Zelie  De  Lussan,  and  a  dozen  others  not  only 
had  short  careers  in  vaudeville,  but  they  never  again 
faced  the  public  in  the  field  where  they  earned  their 
fame  in  America.  Strangely  enough,  while  the  great 
Bernhardt  added  nothing  to  her  prestige  through  her 
advent  in  filmdom,  her  vaudeville  triumph  was  un- 
equivocal— an  amazing  illustration  of  an  extraordinary 
woman  and  an  unapproachable  artiste. 

Because  the  subject  is  a  little  removed  from  the  basic 
theme  of  the  current  volume,  the  writer  is  reluctant  to 
embrace  it  to  the  extent  that  he  feels  the  present  the- 
atrical conditions  warrant ;  but  if  the  above  statements 
serve  to  provide  incentive  for  a  greater  discernment  in 
seeking  a  change  of  artistic  environment,  the  effort  will 
not  have  been  in  vain.  Nor  is  there  any  reason  why 
the  gentlemen  who  control  the  destiny  of  modern 
vaudeville  should  resent  the  writer's  views  in  this  all- 
important  matter;  they  know  that  the  majority  of  their 
"Monday  acts"  (meaning  stars  who  sell  their  fame  as 


of    Science 


legitimate  players  and  singers  for  a  greatly  increased 
honorarium)  are  wholly  box-office  attractions,  and  in- 
variably the  man  who  books  them  ignores  their  very 
existence  —  arranging  the  rest  of  the  program  as  if  the 
"headliner"  was  an  "extra." 

The  day  is  approaching  when  men  like  E.  F.  Albee 
and  Martin  Beck  will  realize  that  the  public  is  wiser 
than  it  once  was,  and  I  am  sure  it  is  time  that  the  facts 
were  revealed  ;  for  it  is  certain  that  the  very  announce- 
ment of  a  certain  type  of  star  (especially  if  it  be  a 
woman  of  uncertain  age)  as  a  vaudeville  attraction 
starts  a  retrograde  movement  in  her  career. 

Here  we  have  an  illustrative  instance:  A  world-fa- 
mous operatic  star  was  offered  $2,500  a  week  for  a  long 
season  in  vaudeville,  starting  in  September,  1913.  By 
the  time  he  reached  the  negotiating  point  the  contract 
was  tendered  at  $2,000,  and,  instead  of  a  season's  en- 
gagement, three  weeks  were  granted.  The  singer  was 
now  helpless  and  involved,  hence  he  signed  ;  and,  open- 
ing almost  unheralded,  scored  a  sensational  success. 
His  contract  was  extended  for  seven  more  weeks. 

But  at  the  end  of  ten  weeks  there  came  a  quietus  —  a 
desire  to  "cut"  the  salary  in  half,  in  fact.  The  singer 
was  astonished,  but  when  he  tried  to  procure  a  route 
for  concerts,  as  was  his  wont  in  previous  years,  the 
response  was  not  encouraging;  so  the  singer  accepted 
a  long  tour  at  JUST  HALF  what  he  was  granted  a  few 
weeks  before,  and  the  managers  who  secured  his  sig- 
nature at  $1,000  instead  of  $2,000  a  week  admitted  they 
had  the  cities  where  the  singer  was  best  known  to  the 
public. 

Is  this  not  a  lesson  for  stage  and  film  stars  alike? 
Perhaps  conditions  are  and  will  be  different  as  a  result 
of  the  general  affiliation  of  the  stage  and  screen  work- 


Cfre   Cfteatte 


ers,  but  to  make  a  reputation  is  one  thing,  and  to  pre- 
serve it  is  another  far  different  and  far  more  vital. 

In  April,  1914,  an  important  film-producing  company 
conceived  the  idea  of  taking  the  public  into  its  confi- 
dence in  a  manner  so  revolutionary  and  so  calculated 
to  dispel  the  illusions  of  photoplaygoers  that  the  sub- 
ject is  serious  enough  for  discussion  in  these  pages. 
Undoubtedly  the  success  of  the  personal  appearance  of 
John  Bunny  and  associates  in  a  silent  play  at  the  Vita- 
graph  Theatre  provided  the  incentive  for  the  presenta- 
tion of  "The  Baited  Trap"  at  the  Republic  Theatre.  In 
this  last  production,  the  "Imp"  players,  headed  by  King 
Baggot,  appeared  in  person,  even  speaking  their  lines; 
but  this  was  the  least  serious  phase  of  the  innovation. 

What  can  have  possessed  so  intelligent  a  producer 
as  Carl  Laemmle  to  reveal  to  the  general  public  "how 
moving  pictures  are  made"  is  something  few  persons 
interested  in  the  future  of  the  new  art  can  comprehend. 
In  the  instance  of  Mr.  Bunny's  public  appearance,  J. 
Stuart  Blackton  provided  a  dainty  and  artistic  play 
without  words  which  gave  to  the  inaugural  program  at 
the  Vitagraph  Theatre  just  the  diversion  needed;  but 
at  the  Republic  Theatre  King  Baggot  and  his  associ- 
ates, while  undoubtedly  providing  a  novel  entertain- 
ment, seemed  to  merely  emphasize  the  fact  that,  after 
all,  the  maze  of  scientific  phenomena  over  which  mil- 
lions of  "fans"  were  mystified  was  merely  the  work  of 
ordinary  humans  and  simple  mechanics. 

It  is  well  that  this  ill-advised  innovation  found  a 
small  vogue  in  a  big  city  playhouse  of  high  grade.  To 
have  presented  such  a  spectacle  as  a  companion  offer- 
ing to  the  truly  artistic  "Samson,"  was  in  itself  an 
amazing  incongruity.  If  the  gentlemen  who  have  been 
enriched  through  the  remarkable  growth  of  a  God- 


of    Science 147 

given  new  art  wish  to  put  to  a  test  the  public's  loyalty, 
let  them  continue  to  reveal  the  secrets  of  the  film  stu- 
dio. Even  now,  the  majority  of  film  patrons  know 
what  they  never  should  have  discovered,  namely,  that 
the  pictures  are  not  taken  consecutively.  A  year  ago 
95  per  cent  of  the  public  which  patronizes  the  nickel 
and  dime  theatres  were  kept  in  suspense  by  their  igno- 
rance of  the  very  things  revealed  through  "The  Baited 
Trap"  production,  and  as  to  what  percentage  of  these 
millions  of  new  theatregoers  hold  the  illusion  that  pho- 
toplayers  are  superhuman  or  at  least  not  merely  hu- 
man may  quickly  be  learned  if  the  country  is  flooded 
with  such  productions  as  "The  Baited  Trap."  I  would 
like  to  have  Mr.  Edison's  views  on  this  subject,  and  it 
is  hoped  I  will  be  privileged  to  present  them  in  this 
volume  before  issue.  (Note). — Mr.  Edison's  response 
to  my  letter  was  as  follows :  "I  certainly  believe  that 
such  exhibitions  are  ill  advised  and  harmful  to  the  in- 
dustry as  a  whole;  moreover,  if  persisted  in,  they  will 
sound  a  retrograde  movement." 


Cfteatre 


CHAPTER   VII 

Vivid — dynamic — compelling — thus  has  Romaine 
Fielding  been  described.  Prodigally  gifted  in  him  are 
found  the  perceptions  of  the  artist,  the  acumen  of  the 
man  of  business,  and  the  powers  of  execution  dowered 
only  to  one  created  to  command. 

Romaine  Fielding  was  born  in  Corsica,  came  to  this 
country  when  a  child,  and  was  educated  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Minnesota.  For  twenty  years  he  played  on  the 
stages  of  this  country  and  England,  and  when  photo- 
play finally  claimed  him  it  was  to  give  Fielding  that 
high  place  which  it  accords  the  chosen  few.  His  thor- 
ough training  had  fitted  him  to  assume  any  character, 
however  complex,  and  through  the  medium  of  the  mute 
drama  his  talents  have  matured  and  found  fullest  ex- 
pression. 

Two  years  have  seen  him  the  head  of  the  Lubin 
Studio  of  the  Northwest,  and  during  that  time  he  has 
struck  a  pace  that  the  photoplay  art  alone  could  reveal. 
He  writes  his  own  stories,  plays  the  principal  roles, 
directs  his  productions,  and  manages  his  own  com- 
pany. Fielding's  offerings  are  today  called  classics. 

There  is  a  magnificient  breadth  to  his  stories  with  an 


ROMAINE  FIELDING 

Director,  author  and  star,  Lubin  Film  Co. 


OSCAR  APFEL 

Director  Lasky  Film  Co. 


"TOM"  MOORE 

Of  Washington,  D.  C.,  erstwhile  vaudeville 
performer,  now  a  magnate  in  filmdom 


MRS.  "  TOM '"  MOOR L 

To  whom  a  fair  share  of  the  credit  is  due  for 
Mr.  Moore's  amazing  success 


of    Science 149 

underlying  psychological  insight  into  the  human  mind, 
subtle,  yet  keen.  Fielding  scorns  the  obvious,  but  his 
ideas  are  never  those  of  the  visionary.  The  commer- 
cial success  of  his  films  is  never  obscured  by  the  striv- 
ing after  the  odd.  In  each  of  his  plays  there  is  a  defi- 
nite message.  The  merely  routine  tale — the  hack  pro- 
duction— is  yet  to  be  sponsored  by  Romaine  Fielding ; 
the  man  who,  wherever  he  goes,  finds  himself  the  lode- 
stone  to  men,  women  and  children  of  all  classes.  He 
is  another  Pied  Piper  of  Hamelin,  but  his  music  comes 
not  from  a  reed,  but  his  heart.  It  is  Fielding's  optim- 
ism, his  soundness  of  character,  his  tender  sympathy, 
and  royal  goodfellowship  that  answer  for  his  irresist- 
ible appeal.  On  the  screen,  aside  from  his  gifts  as  an 
actor,  he  is  not  the  shadow — the  husk  of  a  man — that 
many  players  become  when  the  camera  translates  their4 
personality.  When  Romaine  Fielding  acts  it  is  from 
the  very  core  of  his  manhood. 

This,  then,  is  the  writer's  tribute  to  a  man  and  actor 
whose  remarkable  development  has  been  such  that,  al- 
though Fielding  was  associated  with  myself  in  busi- 
ness a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  and  I  have  never  seen 
him  since  save  on  a  screen,  I  did  not  know  he  was  the 
same  man  until  a  few  days  ago  he  recalled  the  past  to 
me  in  a  letter. 

And  now  when  I  look  back  recalling  the  young  ac- 
tor's struggles  and  vicissitudes  it  seems  as  if  Romaine 
Fielding,  who  unlike  other  great  directors  and  authors 
of  photoplays,  appears  in  all  of  his  own  productions, 
is  after  all  merely  a  product  of  the  theatre  of  science. 
Can  it  be  possible  that  his  twenty  years  on  the  stage 
was  wasted?  It  would  seem  so,  for  here  we  have  a 
man  who  entered  the  film  studio  without  fame  as 
actor,  stage  director  or  author,  and  instantly  in  the 


150 Cfte   CScatre 

new  field  he  became  a  star  in  all  of  three  branches.  I 
would  call  Fielding  the  Richard  Mansfield  of  filmdom. 

Beauty,  grace,  feminine  charm — these  are  but  the 
foundations  upon  which  Miriam  Nesbitt  has  built  her 
successful  career.  Serious  purpose,  unflagging  energy, 
and  careful  study  have  made  her  one  of  the  foremost 
dramatic  actresses  appearing  in  photoplays. 

She  was  particularly  fortunate  in  her  preparation  for 
a  theatrical  career,  having  attended  school  in  Chicago, 
where  she  was  born,  and  in  St.  Louis.  She  then  went 
to  Mary  Sharpe  College,  Winchester,  Tenn.,  and  to  the 
Wheatcroft  Dramatic  School.  It  was  during  a  per- 
formance of  the  students  of  this  school  that  Miss  Nes- 
bitt came  under  the  eye  of  the  Frohmans.  Their  esti- 
mation of  her  unusual  ability  is  apparent  from  the  fact 
that  she  was  immediately  engaged  as  James  K.  Hack- 
ett's  leading  woman.  That  the  confidence  which  these 
experienced  managers  placed  in  her  was  justified  is 
proven  from  the  fact  that  Miss  Nesbitt  has  never 
played  anything  but  leading  parts  since. 

Among  those  with  whom  she  has  appeared  are  Hen- 
ry E.  Dixey,  Chauncey  Olcott,  and  William  H.  Crane. 
She  has  played  in  such  notable  productions  as  "The 
County  Chairman/'  "The  Embassy  Ball,"  "The  Road 
to  Yesterday,"  "The  Traveling  Salesman,"  and  in  the 
original  London  production  of  "Peter  Pan." 

It  was  in  1910  that  Miss  Nesbitt  swore  allegiance  to 
the  photoplay,  joining  the  Edison  Company.  Two  sum- 
mers as  the  star  of  the  Edison  English  players  gave 
Miss  Nesbitt  an  excellent  opportunity  to  display  her 
genius  in  a  wide  variety  of  roles,  ranging  from  Welsh 
peasant  girls  to  princesses.  There  were  many  excep- 
tional films  made  during  these  two  trips  abroad,  in  all 
of  which  Miss  Nesbitt  assumed  the  leading  role.  They 


of    Science 151 

include  "The  Necklace  of  Rameses,"  "Stanton's  Last 
Fling,"  "A  Daughter  of  Romany,"  "The  Antique 
Brooch,"  "The  Foreman's  Treachery,"  and  "The  Coast 
Guard's  Sister." 

Probably  the  best  instance  of  Miss  Nesbitt's  power 
as  a  dramatic  actress  is  her  wonderful  characterization 
of  Mrs.  Lyons,  in  "The  Price  of  the  Necklace."  In  this 
thrilling  story  of  the  Stock  Exchange,  the  scenes  after 
the  failure  of  the  bank,  when  Mrs.  Lyons  is  giving  her 
ball,  call  for  the  utmost  nicety  of  treatment.  The  quar- 
rel between  husband  and  wife  and  the  final  softening  of 
Mrs.  Lyons'  heart  by  the  pleading  of  the  destitute 
widow  are  unsurpassable  in  their  opportunities,  and 
Miss  Nesbitt  rises  to  the  veriest  heights  of  dramatic 
expression. 

Francis  X.  Bushman,  Essanay's  leading  man,  was 
the  winner  in  the  hero  contest  recently  conducted  by 
"The  Ladies'  World3"  magazine.  In  an  interview  he 
said:  "My  friends  throughout  the  country  worked 
hard  for  me.  Not  a  day  passed  that  I  did  not  receive 
many  letters,  enclosing  votes  that  they  had  either  so- 
licited or  purchased  themselves.  My  tour  throughout 
the  Central  States,  I  believe,  helped  wonderfully.  Dur- 
ing my  spare  time  I  talked  at  two  hundred  and  fifty 
theatres  in  and  around  Chicago.  Now  that  I  have  won 
the  contest,  I  shall  strive  to  give  the  best  that  is  in 
me.  It  thrills,  moves  and  can  readily  be  transformed 
to  the  screen."  The  character  of  John  Delancy  Cur- 
tis, which  Mr.  Bushman  will  create  for  the  screen,  is 
the  "hero"  on  which  "The  Ladies'  World"  contest  was 
based,  and  millions  of  readers  of  the  fiction  story  are 
eagerly  awaiting  the  film  production.  Mr.  Bushman's 
ancestors  date  back  nearly  three  hundred  years  in  the 
state  of  Virginia.  Two  were  governors  of  Virginia,  an- 


152 Cfre   Cfteatte 

other  governor  of  Maryland  and  mayor  of  Baltimore. 

Mr.  Bushman  was  born  January  10,  1885,  in  Nor- 
folk, Virginia.  He  attended  grammar  school  in  that 
city,  and  when  but  nine  years  of  age  made  his  first 
stage  appearance.  His  sister,  who  was  then  playing 
the  lead  in  "The  Lady  of  Lyons,"  permitted  him  to 
take  part  in  the  mob  scene.  He  thought  this  a  great 
honor,  and  was  on  hand  every  night  to  help  make  his 
"sister's  success."  He  later  went  to  Annendale  College 
in  Southern  Maryland,  where  he  put  the  finishing 
touches  on  his  education. 

At  night  he  played  juvenile  leads  in  a  Boston  stock 
company.  His  heart  and  soul  were  in  his  work  and 
he  soon  became  the  regular  leading  man.  Shortly  af- 
terwards he  was  engaged  to  play  the  lead  in  the  trav- 
eling production  "At  Yale."  He  made  a  great  success 
in  this  play,  and  during  the  next  two  years  played 
juvenile  leads  in  "The  Queen  of  the  Moulin  Rouge," 
a  Broadway  production,  and  "Going  Some."  He  then 
returned  to  stock  work  and  played  leads  in  Portsmouth, 
Camden,  Columbus,  Rochester  and  Washington. 

It  was  at  Camden,  New  Jersey,  that  an  Essanay  pro- 
ducer happened  to  see  him.  He  saw  the  great  possi- 
bilities in  the  young  actor  and  immediately  communi- 
cated with  him  in  regard  to  becoming  a  photoplay  star. 
His  stock  engagement  closed  that  Saturday  night,  and 
Sunday  Bushman  was  on  his  way  to  Chicago  to  play 
leads  in  the  Essanay  Eastern  productions.  Wednesday 
of  that  week  found  him  playing  the  role  of  a  convict  in 
"Lost  Years,"  the  title  of  which  was  very  apropos,  as 
he  saw  that  he  had  lost  years  in  not  taking  up  motion 
picture  work  Ion?  before.  His  employers  were  more 
than  pleased  with  his  work  in  this  picture,  and  in  the 
ones  following  he  continued  to  improve.  His  untiring 


of    Science 153 

efforts  in  working  to  get  the  correct  interpretations 
of  the  characters  he  was  given  to  portray,  combined 
with  his  stock  personality,  made  his  rise  to  stardom 
very  rapid. 

Lottie  Briscoe  has  been  on  the  stage  since  she  was 
four  years  of  age,  and  has  had  the  good  fortune  dur- 
ing that  time  to  have  been  in  the  companies  of  the 
leading  actors  of  the  past  fifteen  years.  She  made  her 
first  appearance  with  McKee  Rankin  in  "Nobody's 
Wife,"  in  1896,  playing  on  her  first  appearance  a  part 
of  forty-two  pages.  After  that  she  starred  for  three 
seasons  as  Editha  in  "Editha's  Burglar"  (in  which  role 
the  writer  first  saw  her  act),  and  then  went  out  for  a 
preliminary  trip  with  Russ  Whytal,  as  his  co-star  in 
"For  Fair  Virginia,"  which  proved  such  a  success  that 
it  was  brought  into  New  York  and  made  her  a  Broad- 
way star  at  the  age  of  seven. 

At  the  conclusion  of  that  run  Miss  Briscoe  was  next 
engaged  by  Augustin  Daly  to  support  Miss  Ada  Rehan, 
making  her  first  appearance  at  Daly's  Theatre  as 
Puck  in  "A  Midsummer-Night's  Dream."  She  was  a 
great  pet  of  Mr.  Daly's,  who,  after  the  rehearsals  were 
over,  would  draw  up  a  chair  for  Miss  Rehan  and  then 
get  little  Lottie  to  come  on  the  stage  and  sing  to  him 
song  after  song  in  German  and  French.  One  engage- 
ment led  to  another,  and  from  Daly's  she  joined  Rich- 
ard Mansfield,  to  whose  careful  tuition  and  direction 
she  probably  owes  most  of  her  excellent  stage  technic. 
She  played  the  Prince  in  "Richard  III,"  and  under 
Mansfield's  management  was  the  original  Essie  in 
George  Bernard  Shaw's  first  production  in  this  country 
of  "The  Devil's  Disciple."  Mr.  Mansfield  became 
very  fond  of  her  and  wished  to  adopt  her,  but  her  moth- 
er, who  always  traveled  with  her,  refused  to  listen  to 


Cfte    Cfreatre 


this  suggestion,  but  up  to  Mansfield's  early  and  lament- 
ed death  he  treated  her  as  his  own  daughter.  Lottie 
always  traveled  and  lived  in  his  private  car  with  her 
mother  and  tutor,  and  it  was  Mansfield's  delight  to 
write  original  little  dramas  in  which  all  the  characters 
were  played  by  the  two.  Even  at  this  early  age  she 
was  fond  of  having  her  own  way,  for  she  always  would 
insist  on  making  an  entrance  down  a  set  of  steps  which 
must  be  red,  and  Mansfield  must  appear  as  an  artist 
with  a  flowing  black  tie.  He  used  to  vary  this  amuse- 
ment by  giving  her  imitations  of  all  the  well-known 
vaudeville  artists,  accompanying  himself  on  the  'cello. 
After  the  death  of  Mansfield  Lottie  starred  in  "My 
Friend  from  India,"  and  was  Dick  in  "The  Two  Lit- 
tle Vagrants."  Then  the  late  B.  F.  Keith  engaged  her 
for  "stock"  work  and  she  was  for  years  under  this  man- 
agement in  Providence,  Columbus,  Milwaukee,  Pitts- 
burgh and  Philadelphia,  where  at  the  Chestnut  Street 
Theatre  she  played  ingenue  leads.  It  was  from  here 
that  Mr.  Spoor,  of  Essanay  Film  Company,  engaged 
her  as  the  first  star  of  that  company.  After  playing  her 
year's  engagement  with  the  Essanay  Company,  Miss 
Briscoe  took  an  extended  trip  to  Europe  and  on  her 
return  was  engaged  by  the  Majestic  Motion  Picture 
Company  before  she  stepped  off  the  boat,  having  been 
engaged  by  wireless;  making  a  rather  good  combina- 
tion: wireless  telegraphy  and  speechless  acting.  This 
contradiction  of  terms,  however,  is  no  novelty  to  Lottie, 
as  for  years  she  has  been  used  to  smokeless  powder. 
Leaving  the  Majestic  she  went  to  the  Imp,  and  from 
there  she  joined  the  Lubin  forces  in  1911,  where  she 
is  now  playing  leads  as  co-star  with  Arthur  Johnson. 
Miss  Briscoe  was  honored  in  an  unusual  manner  by 
the  New  York  "Times"  in  1913,  when  in  a  nation-wide 


of^cience  155 

contest  to  reveal  America's  most  beautiful  woman  the 
Lubin  star  was  the  only  stage  or  film  player  included 
among  the  winners,  the  judges  being  such  artists  as 
Penrhyn  Stanlaws,  Harrison  Fisher  and  Philip  Boileau. 

Arthur  Vaughan  Johnson  was  born  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  in  1876,  of  parents  in  no  way  connected  with  the 
theatrical  profession.  He  was  educated  at  Kemper 
Hall,  a  military  school,  in  Davenport,  Iowa.  As, 
Tybalt,  in  "Romeo  and  Juliet,"  Mr.  Johnson  made  his' 
first  appearance  at  the  age  of  nineteen.  He  remained 
on  the  stage  fourteen  years,  playing  many  parts  and 
laying  the  foundation  of  that  sound  technique  which 
was  to  serve  him  in  such  good  stead  later  on.  He  has 
played  almost  everything  in  Shakespeare  and  the  class- 
ics, as  well  as  Sherlock  Holmes  and  the  modern  drama. 
For  many  years  he  was  leading  man  with  Robert  B. 
Mantell,  Marie  Wainwright,  and  Sol  Smith  Russell. 
His  association  with  the  latter  star  gave  him  that  sym- 
pathy and  understanding  of  character  roles  which  mark 
his  work  on  the  screen  to-day. 

Six  years  ago  Mr.  Johnson  was  led  to  enter  the  mo- 
tion-picture field  chiefly  because  of  the  summer  lull  in 
his  engagements,  and  he  immediately  established  him- 
self as  a  Biograph  favorite.  After  absorbing  all  the  de- 
tails of  his  new  work,  and  having  learned  the  difficul- 
ties of  acting  before  the  camera,  he  accepted  an  offer 
made  by  the  Reliance  Company,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained a  short  time.  Mr.  Lubin,  who  wished  to 
strengthen  his  company,  made  Mr.  Johnson  induce- 
ments sufficient  to  tempt  almost  anyone  to  leave  New 
York,  and  for  the  past  three  years  he  has  been  enlisted 
under  the  Lubin  banner.  He  has  just  completed  his 
second  year  as  director  of  every  photoplay  in  which  he 
plays  the  leading  part,  and  has  succeeded  in  making  his 


156 C6e   Cfteatte 

efforts  in  the  former  capacity  as  rich  in  individuality 
and  human  appeal  as  his  work  as  a  player  has  always 
been. 

Lloyd  B.  Carleton,  of  the  Lubin  Company,  Phila- 
delphia, began  his  career  as  a  director  and  producer  of 
plays  when  a  child.  He  built  theatres  and  scenery  out 
of  cigar  boxes,  and  painted  cardboards,  with  paper 
puppets  for  actors.  And  also  wrote  and  rehearsed  lit- 
tle plays  in  which  his  playmates  took  part  and  the 
neighbors  were  audience.  The  scenery  moved  on 
grooves,  and  the  lighting  was  done  by  tiny  oil  lamps. 
At  the  early  age  of  nine  years  he  showed  mechanical 
and  dramatic  ability.  As  a  member  of  the  Seventh 
Regiment,  N.  G.  S.  N.  Y.,  he  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  Dramatic  Club,  and  took  part  in  many  of  their 
productions.  After  a  short  career  as  a  lawyer,  Mr. 
Carleton  joined  an  art  school,  from  which  he  gradu- 
ated with  honors.  But  the  call  of  the  stage  was  too 
strong,  and  he  became  a  member  of  the  Charles  Froh- 
man  Company,  playing  with  Henry  Miller,  Annie  Rus- 
sel  and  Virginia  Harned.  He  was  in  Miss  Maude 
Adams'  Company  when  she  made  her  debut  as  a  star 
in  "The  Little  Minister,"  and  remained  with  her  in 
all  her  productions,  until  he  was  sent  by  Mr.  Frohman 
to  Australia  to  produce  "Peter  Pan"  for  J.  C.  Wil- 
liamson, with  Tittel  Brune  as  the  star.  Since  then  he 
has  directed  The  Percy  Haswell  Stock  Company,  The 
George  Fawcett  Stock  Company,  The  Davison  Stock 
Company  of  Milwaukee,  and  The  Hunter-Bradford 
Stock  Company.  Mr.  Carleton  became  prominent  by 
the  production  of  "Lorna  Doone"  for  Harry  Hamlin  of 
Chicago  at  the  Grand  Opera  House.  Becoming  inter- 
ested in  the  moving-picture  productions  and  having  ex- 
perimented for  years  in  camera  work  and  its  possibili- 


of    Science 157 

ties,  he  entered  the  moving-picture  field,  first  with  the 
Biograph  Company,  later  with  the  Thanhouser  Com- 
pany, and  for  the  past  two  years  with  the  Lubin  Man- 
ufacturing Company  as  one  of  their  foremost  directors, 
making  many  of  their  most  artistic  and  dramatic  fea- 
tures. 

Harry  Handworth  first  saw  the  light  of  day  on  June 
30,  1878,  in  New  York  City.  At  an  early  age  he  grad- 
uated from  the  public  schools  and  entered  high  school. 
Much  against  his  parents'  wishes,  he  left  school  short- 
ly afterward  to  start  a  business  career.  At  nineteen  he 
went  into  business  for  himself;  but  the  call  of  earlier 
days,  the  smell  of  grease  paint,  had  been  so  thoroughly 
inoculated  into  his  system  that  he  thought  himself  des- 
tined to  fill  the  shoes  left  vacant  by  the  great  and  only 
Edwin  Booth.  Throwing  business  worries  to  the  wind, 
he  sallied  forth  to  conquer  the  world.  Daily  he  haunt- 
ed the  dramatic  agencies,  but  without  avail;  his 
mother  encouraged,  but  his  father  discouraged,  but 
Harry  promised  to  show  his  doubting  father  if  he  ever 
secured  the  chance.  Making  the  rounds  of  the  agen- 
cies every  day  for  a  whole  summer  soon  taught  him 
little  tricks,  and  he  soon  landed  with  a  one-night-stand 
production.  Its  life  was  short  and  sad,  and  soon  he 
found  himself  making  the  rounds  of  the  agencies.  Sev- 
eral of  the  company  he  was  associated  with  thought 
well  of  him,  and  introduced  him  to  the  agents.  His 
next  venture  was  with  a  farce-comedy  production,  illy 
named  "The  Lovers*  Dilemma."  But  let  us  draw  the 
curtain  for  a  short  space  and  play  some  sad  music. 
The  show  opened  in  Gloversville,  N.  Y.,  at  8:15  p.  m. 
and  closed  at  9 : 15  p.  m.  the  same  night.  The  audience 
went  wild  over  the  "star" — in  fact,  they  waited  outside 
the  stage  door  to  embrace  him ;  but  he,  thoughtful  one, 


158  C6e   C&eatre 

went  out  through  the  front  of  the  house.  His  name 
will  be  kept  a  secret.  He  has  since  then  become,  and  is 
now,  a  leading  man  on  Broadway. 

"Jake"  Speis,  the  erstwhile  dramatic  agent,  next 
thought  well  enough  of  young  Handworth  to  place  him 
with  the  "Country  Editor."  That  attraction  also 
stubbed  its  toe  after  a  short  run,  and  silently  faded  into 
oblivion.  Several  seasons  of  successes  and  failures  fol- 
lowed, when  he  signed  with  Joe  Murphy,  in  the  fol- 
lowing year,  and  played  Jack  Biddle  in  a  "Desperate 
Chance."  Next  he  was  starred  in  "The  Gunner's 
Mate."  In  1905  he  organized  and  headed  his  own  stock 
company,  and  met  with  great  success,  directing  all  his 
own  productions.  In  1909  he  noticed  the  advances 
moving  pictures  were  making.  The  handwriting  on 
the  wall  was  plain  to  him.  He  clearly  saw  how  dram- 
atic productions  must  suffer  by  the  inroads  being  made 
by  the  then  despised  film  industries.  Many  theatrical 
managers  and  actors  sneered,  and  tried  to  ridicule  the 
picture  game,  but  in  their  hearts  they  trembled  at  the 
onrushing  Goliath.  They  put  their  backs  to  the  wall 
and  tried  to  fight  it  off.  They  lost  no  opportunity  to 
slur  it  in  their  current  plays.  The  managers  even  re- 
fused to  engage  actors  for  their  productions  who  had 
ever  worked  in  moving  pictures.  Such  was  the  condi- 
tion of  the  film  business  only  five,  four,  and  even  three 
years  ago.  What  a  change  a  few  years  has  brought 
about!  The  photoplay  has  swept  through  the  amuse- 
ment field  like  a  prairie  fire,  wiping  out  those  who 
would  not  see,  creating  new  and  fertile  fields  for  those 
managers  who  kept  their  ears  to  the  ground.  This 
has  brought  about  a  general  improvement  in  the  class 
of  film  brought  before  the  public.  The  cream  of  the 
theatrical  producers  are  engaged  in  the  filming  of  their 


of    Science 159 

plays.  Interest  in  pictures  has  been  stimulated,  finer 
theatres  for  the  projection  of  pictures  have  been  erect- 
ed, and  the  industry  is  booming  all  along  the  line. 

Mr.  Handworth  became  one  of  the  first  directors  en- 
gaged by  Pathe  Freres,  when  that  firm  opened  its 
American  studio  in  Jersey  City  Heights.  He  was  re- 
sponsible for  many  of  its  brilliant  successes,  and  to-day 
stands  firmly  entrenched  as  one  of  the  foremost  pro- 
ducers in  America.  Recently  he  severed  his  connec- 
tion with  Pathe,  and  entered  the  field  for  himself,  or- 
ganizing "The  Excelsior  Feature  Film  Company,"  with 
studio  located  at  Lake  Placid,  New  York.  His  first 
picture  under  the  new  regime  will  be  a  four-reel  fea- 
ture, "The  Toll  of  Mammon,"  now  in  preparation.  If 
care,  thought,  study,  and  ability  count  for  anything, 
success  will  surely  crown  his  efforts. 

Octavia  Handworth  was  born  December  25,  1888, 
the  year  of  the  great  blizzard,  in  a  small  brick  build- 
ing still  standing  on  Fifteenth  Street,  near  Seventh 
Avenue.  As  a  child,  she  showed  great  aptitude  for 
music.  Her  parents  decided  to  encourage  her,  and  at 
nine  years  of  age  she  was  sent  to  Copenhagen  to  study 
under  masters.  At  twelve  she  returned  to  this  coun- 
try, and  Herr  Bancke  became  her  instructor.  Great 
progress  was  made,  for  a  year  later  we  find  her  giving 
recitals  in  Brooklyn,  where  she  then  resided.  A  great 
future  seemed  in  store  for  her.  At  the  piano  she 
showed  wonderful  technique,  and  her  voice  grew  in 
strength  and  volume  as  the  years  went  on.  At  sixteen 
she  accepted  an  engagement  with  an  opera  company. 
The  following  year  she  was  engaged  by  Weber  & 
Fields  for  a  minor  part.  Lee  Shubert  heard  her  sing, 
and  became  interested,  but  the  dramatic  stage  shortly 
after  claimed  her,  and  she  signed  with  a  stock  com- 


160 C6e   Cfleatre 

pany  to  play  parks  during  the  summer  season.  Sev- 
eral seasons  in  stock  at  Dallas,  Texas;  Kansas  City, 
Missouri;  Chicago,  and  other  cities  followed,  which 
gave  her  ample  opportunity  to  perfect  herself  in  the 
higher  art.  A  season  with  A.  H.  Woods  next  fol- 
lowed, and  at  twenty  she  saw  the  wonderful  possibili- 
ties of  the  silent  drama.  The  Vitagraph  engaged  her 
for  several  pictures,  and  while  here  Miss  Handworth 
realized  the  splendid  opportunities  the  camera  offered 
to  the  finished  artist — the  outdoor  work,  ever  changing 
scenes  and  locations,  and  last,  but  not  least,  her  long- 
ing for  a  permanent  home  and  a  year-round  engage- 
ment could  at  last  become  a  reality. 

Pathe,  about  that  time,  decided  to  produce  pictures 
in  America,  and  Miss  Handworth  was  immediately  en- 
gaged to  play  the  leads,  and  her  success  has  been  mar- 
velous. The  several  hundred  roles  she  has  been  called 
upon  to  portray  have  received  her  closest  attention  to 
detail.  She  was  one  of  the  first  photoplayers  to  realize 
that  every  move  and  look  must  mean  something,  and  to 
improvise  lines  that  had  a  direct  bearing  upon  the  story 
the  film  was  to  tell.  Among  her  favorite  pictures  are 
"A  Wrecked  Life,"  "The  Nation's  Peril,"  "The  Simple 
Maid,"  "The  Secret  Formula,"  "The  President's  Par- 
don," "The  Schoolma'm,"  "The  Climax."  Her  name 
and  face  are  familiar  the  world  over.  Daily  she  re- 
ceives scores  of  letters  from  her  admirers,  praising  her 
work  on  the  screen.  Many  of  these  letters  are  written 
in  strange  languages,  and  bearing  postmarks  from  In- 
dia, Russia,  Australia,  and  even  Japan  and  China,  all 
of  which  are  answered  and  a  photograph  enclosed. 

This  year  Miss  Handworth  will  be  featured  by  the 
Excelsior  Feature  Film  Company,  and  her  many 
friends  will  see  her  at  her  best  in  "The  Toll  of  Mam- 


OCTAVIA  HAND  WORTH 

''Excelsior"  Star 


MABEL  NORMAND 

Keystone  Comedies 


FRANCEL1A  BILLINGTON 

(Majestic) 


ETHEL  CLAYTON 

(Lubin) 


Four  "Reel"  Stars  of  To-day 


o  f    S  c  i  e  n  c  e 


mon,"  a  four-reel  feature,  which  gives  her  ample  op- 
portunity to  display  her  genius  before  the  camera. 

Giles  R.  Warren  entered  the  ranks  of  the  theatrical 
profession  in  1889,  playing  eccentric  comedy  roles  un- 
der the  tutelage  of  John  Stapleton,  who  was  then  man- 
aging and  directing  a  stock  company  in  Chicago.  Mr. 
Warren  continued  in  this  field  until  1910,  playing  a 
range  of  parts  from  comedy  roles  to  heavies  in  many 
companies,  including  Augustin  Daly's,  Potter  &  Bel- 
lew,  "Checkers,"  and  "The  Eternal  City."  He  was 
stage  manager  with  "Checkers"  the  first  two  seasons, 
with  Thomas  W.  Ross  in  the  stellar  role. 

In  1910  Mr.  Warren  joined  the  "Imp"  forces  as  sce- 
nario editor,  at  the  time  the  company  included  King 
Baggot,  Florence  Lawrence,  and  Owen  Moore,  with 
Harry  L.  Solter  as  director.  From  the  "Imp"  Mr. 
Warren  went  to  Lubin,  where  he  remained  for  a  year, 
conducting  the  scenario  department.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  this  time,  he  was  engaged  by  P.  A.  Powers  to 
write  scenarios  for  the  Powers  Motion  Picture  Com- 
pany, and  left  that  concern  to  join  the  Victor  Com- 
pany, which  Mr.  Powers  organized  to  feature  Florence 
Lawrence.  Mr.  Solter,  Miss  Lawrence's  husband  and 
director,  being  forced,  on  account  of  ill  health,  to  take 
a  lengthy  vacation,  Mr.  Warren  was  placed  in  charge 
of  the  direction  of  her  pictures,  in  addition  to  writing 
all  of  her  scenarios,  until  she  left  the  company.  He 
then  continued  his  direction,  featuring  Fritzi  Brunette 
and  Owen  Moore,  until  the  consolidation  of  the  Victor 
with  the  Universal.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  writ- 
ing and  producing  three-reel  films  for  Warner's  Fea- 
tures, Inc. 

Marion  Leonard  is  probably  the  first  person  in  the 
motion  picture  business  who  attained  celebrity  through 


162 C6e   Cfreatte 

her  work  on  the  screen.  Her  first  engagement  as  a 
ccreen  actress  was  with  the  Kalem  Company,  but  after 
appearing  in  two  pictures  for  them  she  was  imme- 
diately engaged  by  the  Biograph  Company  and  re- 
mained with  the  Biograph  for  nearly  four  years.  Dur- 
ing this  engagement  she  played  the  leading  female  roles 
in  nearly  two-thirds  of  the  Biograph  productions.  She 
was  induced  by  the  independents  to  leave  the  Bio- 
graph, the  salary  given  her  for  this  purpose  being  of 
rather  dazzling  proportions.  Miss  Leonard  remained 
with  the  Reliance  Company  for  a  year  and  left  only 
because  the  fatigue  of  a  hard  season's  work  compelled 
her  to  take  a  trip  abroad.  She  remained  in  Europe 
about  six  months  and  was  again  brought  back  by  the 
independents  in  order  to  strengthen  their  programs, 
appearing  during  two  years  with  the  Rex  and  Monopol 
Companies.  The  terms  at  which  she  negotiated  this 
new  engagement  placed  her  in  control  of  her  studio 
and  since  that  time  Miss  Leonard  has  always  con- 
ducted her  own  business  and  is  to-day  in  connection 
with  Stanner  E.  V.  Taylor,  her  producer,  the  owner 
of  her  own  studio  and  all  the  output  thereof. 

While  with  the  Biograph  Company,  Miss  Leonard 
married  the  playwright  of  that  company,  Stanner  E. 
V.  Taylor,  and  from  the  time  she  left  that  company 
Mr.  Taylor  has  been  her  producer  as  well  as  play- 
wright. Miss  Leonard  has  always  kept  her  private 
life  separate  from  her  public  appearances,  and  though 
repeatedly  offered  small  fortunes  to  appear  personally 
before  audiences,  she  believes  that  as  a  motion  picture 
actress  the  public  should  see  her  and  know  her  on 
the  screen  only. 

Miss  Leonard  has  a  charming  and  sweet  personality 
and  when  not  absorbed  in  her  work  is  devoted  to  litera- 


of    Science 


ture,  music  and  automobiling.  A  dainty  little  farm 
in  Jersey  also  occupies  much  of  her  time  in  the  sum- 
mer months.  She  is  an  Ohio  girl  by  birth. 

Miss  Leonard's  views  as  to  the  obligation  the 
screen  favorite  owes  to  the  producer  by  confining  her 
appearance  before  the  camera  are  interesting,  indeed, 
for  if  there  is  one  star  in  filmdom  who  could  com- 
mand "big  money"  in  vaudeville,  she  surely  is  that 
one.  Ethically  Miss  Leonard  is  wholly  correct  in  the 
views  she  expresses,  but  the  tremendous  popularity  of 
the  screen  stars  offers  no  little  temptation  to  convert 
into  cash;  moreover,  this  popularity  is  of  the  kind  not 
easily  eliminated. 

S  tanner  E.  V.  Taylor,  playwright  and  producer  of 
the  Marion  Leonard  films,  first  entered  the  motion 
picture  business  as  playwright  to  the  Biograph  Com- 
pany. During  the  four  years  he  was  with  this  com- 
pany Mr.  Taylor  wrote  eighty  per  cent,  of  the  plays 
produced  by  that  company  and  was  the  first  play- 
wright in  the  motion  picture  business  ever  to  be  regu- 
larly retained  by  a  producing  company  in  that  capac- 
ity. Mr.  Taylor  left  the  Biograph  to  become  play- 
wright to  the  Reliance  Company,  and  shortly  after  was 
induced  by  Messrs.  Kessel  and  Baumann  to  take 
charge  of  their  productions,  since  which  time  he  has 
been  producing  as  well  as  writing  all  of  his  own  plays. 
After  leaving  the  Biograph,  Mr.  Taylor  was  connected 
in  turn  with  the  Reliance,  Rex  and  Monopol  Com- 
panies, and  is  now  identified  with  Miss  Leonard  in  the 
Marion  Leonard  Studio,  where  all  the  Marion  Leon- 
ard productions  are  produced.  Prior  to  entering  the 
motion  picture  business  Mr.  Taylor  was  in  turn  news- 
paper man,  actor  and  then  playwright. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Friars,  but  finds  his  princi- 


Cfte    Cfteatte 


pal  recreation  in  reading,  the  theatre  and  automobiling. 

Mr.  Taylor  was  born  in  the  West  and  prior  to  com- 
ing to  New  York  had  the  audacity  to  think  that  Chi- 
cago was  the  center  of  the  universe. 

Paul  Panzer  was  born  in  Wurzburg,  Bavaria,  the 
well-known  university  town.  He  studied  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Wurzburg  and  also  took  a  course  in  vocal 
music  at  the  Conservatory  of  Wurzburg.  He  served 
in  the  army  and  when  he  left  the  country  was  lieu- 
tenant of  the  artillery  in  reserves.  He  left  Germany 
to  take  a  position  as  administrator  of  a  coffee  planta- 
tion in  Sao  Paulo,  Brazil.  After  three  and  one-half 
years  spent  there  he  came  to  this  country  twelve  years 
ago.  Inasmuch  as  he  has  been  a  leading  spirit  in  club 
theatricals  in  Germany,  he  naturally  drifted  into  the 
dramatic  profession  and  secured  an  engagement  with 
Augustin  Daly. 

He  played  in  "San  Toy,"  "The  Geisha,"  "The  Coun- 
try Girl"  and  "Singalee."  He  became  stage  manager 
for  Mr.  Daly.  About  five  years  ago  he  became  inter- 
ested in  moving  pictures  and  for  a  while  was  an  inde- 
pendent producer  and  director. 

Receiving,  however,  a  flattering  offer  from  Pathe 
Freres,  he  joined  their  stock  company  in  Jersey  City, 
where  he  has  been  now  for  three  and  a  half  years,  play- 
ing leading  parts. 

Mr.  Panzer  has  varied  his  work  by  lecture  tours  on 
the  vaudeville  stages  in  houses  where  they  show  mov- 
ing pictures  and  has  achieved  great  popularity  in  his 
lectures. 

Close  observers  have  regarded  it  as  a  strange  ten- 
dency, that  of  comic  opera  and  musical  comedy  artists 
scoring  as  photoplayers  ;  almost  every  recruit  from  the 


of    Science 165 

musical  field  has  become  an  established  favorite  in 
filmdom. 

From  Oscar  C.  Apfel's  very  first  entrance  into  the 
theatrical  world  he  has  always,  in  one  way  or  another, 
been  connected  with  stage  management.  Beginning 
in  1901  with  a  company  playing  a  season  of  forty- 
seven  weeks  of  one-night  stands,  Apfel  was  unani- 
mously elected  as  "Props,"  besides  playing  three  parts. 
The  next  season  he  was  promoted,  being  stage  man- 
ager with  a  real  company,  playing  weeks'  stands. 
From  then  on  he  has  always  been  connected  with  the 
stage  end,  the  best  schooling  having  been  made  under 
the  direction  of  the  late  Will  Dean,  of  the  Belasco 
forces,  with  whom  Apfel  was  associated  for  several 
seasons  in  stock  work. 

His  ambition,  however,  was  to  direct.  This  ambi- 
tion was  realized  when  placed  in  charge  of  the  Chicago 
Opera  House  Stock  Company  eight  years  ago  by  Mr. 
D.  H.  Hunt.  Success  in  Chicago  led  to  other  engage- 
ments in  Milwaukee,  Minneapolis,  Detroit,  Cleveland, 
Buffalo,  Pittsburgh,  Columbus,  Toledo,  San  Francisco 
and  other  cities.  It  was  hard  work,  but  Apfel  liked  it. 
The  berth  of  a  stage  director  in  stock  companies  is 
not  a  bed  of  roses,  but  the  constant  change,  the  thrill 
of  the  opening  performance,  always  drew  him  back. 

The  "movies"  had  interested  Apfel  for  some  time, 
so  in  1911,  he  had  an  interview  with  Mr.  Plimpton,  of 
the  Edison  Company.  He  (Mr.  Plimpton)  didn't 
know  whether  a  dramatic  director  would  make  a  good 
picture  director  or  not.  Neither  did  Apfel,  so  both 
agreed  to  take  a  chance.  It  was  a  long  chance,  for 
Apfel  directed  with  the  Edison  Company  a  year  and 
a  half. 

What  appealed  most,  was  the  opportunity  to  give 


166 C6e   Cfteatte 

free  reign  to  the  imagination.  You  were  given  an 
idea,  plot  or  story,  and  then  left  to  work  out  your  own 
scenario,  and,  of  course,  upon  that  rests  the  success 
or  failure  of  the  picture. 

Apfel  started  in  making  his  own  scenarios  from  the 
beginning,  and  of  the  hundreds  of  pictures  produced, 
the  scenarios  have  always  been  his  own,  in  addition  to 
which  he  has  written  a  great  number  of  original  sce- 
narios. 

The  rapid  changes  taking  place  in  the  film  world 
took  Apfel  to  the  camp  of  the  Mutual  Company,  where 
he  produced  the  Reliance  features  for  over  a  year. 
Leaving  the  Reliance,  he  joined  the  Pathe  forces  for 
a  short  time,  when  an  opportunity  to  enter  the  real 
feature  field  presented  itself  in  shape  of  an  offer  from 
the  Jesse  L.  Lasky  Company,  with  which  he  is  now 
associated,  producing  well-known  plays  with  well- 
known  stars. 

It  was  Oscar  Apfel  who  imparted  to  the  Reliance 
productions  the  individuality  which  contributed  more 
to  the  "Independent"  cause  than  any  single  factor  one 
may  name. 

I  recall  a  number  of  these  productions,  in  which 
Irving  Cummings  and  Rosemary  Theby  rose  to  fame, 
and  undoubtedly  it  was  the  progress  made  under  Apfel 
that  induced  the  Reliance  Company  to  expand  to  its 
present  status. 


ADAM  KESSEL,  JR. 
Founder  New  York  Motion  Picture  Co. 
Remarkable  Product  of  a  Great  Industry 


t  i  t  n  1 1  167 


CHAPTER    VIII 

On  May  21st,  1909,  the  Bison  Company  released 
their  first  picture,  "A  Disinterested  Son's  Loyalty." 
How  they  came  to  take  this  name  of  Bison  was  when 
Mr.  Adam  Kessel,  Jr.,  was  paying  a  restaurant  check 
and  saw  the  Buffalo  head  on  a  $10  bill.  He  decided 
then  and  there  to  call  this  new  company  the  Bison. 

The  New  York  Motion  Picture  Corporation  then 
consisted  of  Adam  Kessel,  Jr.,  President;  Chas.  O. 
Baumann,  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 

Adam  Kessel  also  at  that  time  owned  the  Empire 
Film  Company,  and  Chas.  O.  Baumann  branched  out 
with  the  International  Film  Exchange,  which  ex- 
changes handled  the  output  of  the  General  Film  Com- 
pany. Kessel  refused  to  sign  a  licensed  agreement, 
so  they  cut  off  his  film  supply.  He  had  to  get  film 
elsewhere.  Kessel  &  Baumann  got  in  touch  with  a 
a  camera  man  who  was  making  film  in  a  small  way 
at  that  time,  and  bought  out  the  interest  of  his  con- 
cern and  started  to  make  pictures  for  their  own  ex- 
changes. They  sold  18  copies  of  their  first  picture, 
"A  Disinherited  Son's  Loyalty,"  and  were  really  the 
first  manufacturers  to  supply  exchanges  with  posters. 


168 Cfre   Cfteatre 

They  also  were  the  first  to  send  out  film  on  a  cash 
basis  in  order  to  enable  them  to  raise  money  to  con- 
tinue making  pictures. 

After  a  few  releases  they  made  the  one-reel  picture, 
"True  Indian's  Heart."  Of  this  they  sold  thirty-five 
copies,  which  was  wonderful  for  a  beginner,  and  they 
have  the  distinction  from  that  day  of  never  having 
failed  with  a  release.  They  then  began  making  pic- 
tures in  Los  Angeles,  and  were  really  one  of  the  first 
to  see  the  benefits  of  Southern  California  climate. 

Kessel  &  Baumann  got  together  with  Cochrane, 
Laemmle,  Herbert  Miles  and  Powers,  and  formed  the 
Motion  Picture  Distributing  and  Sales  Company.  The 
result  was  the  independent  film  business  was  put  on  a 
sound  basis.  This  group  was  then  enabled  to  get 
enough  money  to  fight  the  Motion  Picture  Patents 
Company,  with  the  result  that  they  won  in  the  end. 

After  the  Sales  Company  was  sailing  along  nicely, 
Kessel  &  Baumann  started  to  expand,  and,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1911,  signed  a  contract  with  Miller  Brothers  to  use 
their  "101  Ranch"  equipment,  consisting  of  Indians, 
cowboys,  horses,  cattle  and  all  other  paraphernalia. 
From  then  on  they  began  making  pictures  in  Califor- 
nia at  an  enormous  weekly  expense,  and  supplied 
Thos.  H.  Ince  with  one  of  the  greatest  layouts  of  any 
motion  picture  concern  in  the  world.  Ince,  from  the 
beginning,  made  good. 

In  January,  1912,  Chas.  Kessel,  managing  the  ex- 
changes of  Messrs.  Kessel  &  Baumann,  which  by  this 
time  had  increased  in  number  to  five,  they  having 
bought  out  the  Imperial  Film  Exchange,  then  owned 
by  "Bill"  Steiner,  was  taken  into  the  New  York  Mo- 
tion Picture  Company,  and  along  about  April,  1912, 
Messrs.  Kessel  &  Baumann  saw  the  advantages  of  put- 


CHARLES  O.  BAUMANN 

Founder  New  York  Motion  Picture  Co.  and  the  first  Film  Magnate  to  produce  for  the  Stage 


of    Science 


ting  out  good  film,  and  felt  they  were  hampered  by  the 
Motion  Picture  Distributing  and  Sales  Company,  be- 
cause they  were  not  allowed  to  expand.  They  then 
joined  forces  with  Swanson  of  the  Rex,  Laemmle  of  the 
Imp,  Powers  of  the  Powers  Company,  and  J.  Brula- 
tour  of  the  Eastman  Company,  and  formed  what  is 
now  the  Universal  Film  Manufacturing  Company. 

In  June,  1912,  the  New  York  Motion  Picture  Com- 
pany withdrew  from  the  Universal  and  began  releas- 
ing through  the  Mutual  Film  Corporation,  and  at  the 
same  time  sold  its  string  of  exchanges  to  the  Mutual 
Film  Corporation;  and  just  about  this  time  Messrs. 
Kessel  &  Baumann  made  one  of  the  greatest  moves 
on  record  in  the  industry,  that  is,  the  signing  up  of 
Mack  Sennett,  who  was  sent  out  and  started  the 
famous  Keystone  Company. 

In  the  Spring  of  1913,  after  the  reorganization,  the 
New  York  Motion  Picture  Corporation  was  formed  i 
Adam  Kessel,  Jr.,  President;  C.  O.  Baumann,  Vice- 
President;  Chas.  Kessel,  Secretary;  C.  J.  Kite,  Treas- 
urer; H.  E.  Aitken,  Asst.  Treasurer.  They  are  now 
turning  out  and  releasing  9,000  feet  of  negative  a 
week.  In  the  year  of  1913  they  turned  out  over  21,- 
000,000  feet  of  film. 

The  "shoestring"  of  business  has  worked  more 
miracles  in  the  motion-picture  "game"  than  in  all  other 
professions  combined^  Like  "the  days  of  gold,"  the 
poor  man  of  yesterday  is  the  "multi"  of  today. 

In  this  particular  case,  a  near-camera,  a  few  feet  of 
film  and  energy  personified  in  the  form  of  W.  N.  Selig, 
were  to  prove  to  the  world  that  there  were  dif- 
ferent qualities  even  in  financial  "shoestrings."  Un- 
like the  majority  of  suddenly-wealthy,  he  persisted  in 
continuing  a  master  of  commercialism,  holding  his 


170  Cfte   C&eatre 

course  as  steadily  after  the  flood  tide  of  competition 
had  developed  as  during  that  earlier  period  when  the 
famous  diamond  brand  of  the  Selig  Polyscope  Com- 
pany was  master  in  a  clear  field. 

Every  one  knows  what  W.  N.  Selig  did  in  the  East. 
His  twin  plants  in  Chicago,  so  magnificent  in  their  ap- 
pointments that  they  forestalled  the  demand  of  years, 
magically  engulfed  the  back  room  and  pitiful  stage 
where  the  noted  manufacturer  began  his  career  in  the 
film  business  in  1896.  His  plants  in  Europe  and  Eng- 
land followed.  From  every  standpoint  the  Selig  Poly- 
scope Company  was  equipped  with  offices,  plants, 
studios  de  luxe,  and  other  necessities  for  all  time. 
Elbert  Hubbard,  the  sage  of  East  Aurora,  referred  to 
the  performer  of  these  things  as  "the  marvel  of  mod- 
ern business." 

And  yet  a  visit  to  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  proves  that  the 
wizard  has  just  begun  wizzing;  that  "energy  personi- 
fied" still  is  on  the  job.  Not  content  with  the  vast  and 
complete  equipment  of  the  East,  Mr.  Selig  has  begun 
operations  in  Los  Angeles,  which,  from  a  studio  stand- 
point, will  far  outdo  all  efforts  of  the  past  and  will  add 
to  the  famous  sight-seeing  places  of  the  continent,  a 
studio  which  easily  will  reign  supreme  among  the 
world's  motion-picture  places. 

Already  this  location  is  known  as  the  Selig  Zoo. 
When  the  company  installed  a  studio  at  Edendale, 
among  the  hills  of  Los  Angeles,  it  attracted  immediate 
attention  for  its  beauty,  luxury  and  general  superi- 
ority. Built  in  Mission  style,  with  its  patio,  siesta 
nooks  and  great  glass-enclosed  studio,  it  marked  the 
climax  of  studio  construction  here  for  the  time  being. 
None  have  approached  it  as  yet. 

But  the  Selig  Zoo,  another  pet  project  in  the  busy 


of    Science m 

mind  of  Mr.  Selig,  was  due  to  cheat  its  sister  studio  of 
its  laurels.  Beginning  quietly  by  the  purchase  of  a 
great  acreage  beside  beautiful  Eastlake  Park,  Mr. 
Selig  added  $500,000  to  his  expenditures  in  the  single 
move.  Then  the  Selig  menagerie  began  to  make  itself 
known,  first  in  wonderful  pictures,  next  to  the  general 
public.  The  animal  inhabitants  increased  until,  with 
more  on  the  way  from  the  jungles,  there  is  a  rare  col- 
lection at  hand  at  present  costing  $264,000. 

India  collaborated  with  the  "Dark  Continent"  and 
the  jungles  of  South  America  in  complying  with  this 
latest  fad  of  the  film  genius,  until  the  Selig  Zoo  is  a 
crazy-quilt  of  animaldom.  More  than  two  score  lions 
roar  within  the  great  enclosure.  Nine  enormous  tigers, 
fourteen  panthers,  jaguars,  a  dozen  leopards,  a  pack  of 
wolves,  four  pachyderms,  a  pair  of  inquiring  giraffes, 
water  buffalo,  sacred  cows,  Russian  boar  hounds,  yaks, 
zebra,  bear,  sloth,  and  fifteen  camels  add  to  the  mer- 
riment about  feeding  time. 

Then  there  are  animal  acts  which  run  into  fortunes ; 
trained  ponies;  Sultan,  the  highest  priced  nag  which 
ever  pranced  and  performed  for  royalty  or  the  public; 
vari-colored  cockatoos  and  other  jungle  birds.  To 
attempt  further  details  along  this  line  would  involve 
unnecessary  space. 

With  this  modest  groundwork,  Mr.  Selig  already 
has  his  million-dollar  studio  and  Zoo  under  construc- 
tion. Animal  cages  of  solid  concrete;  administration 
buildings,  offices  and  stages  of  artistic  design;  band 
stands  and  printing  rooms — all  will  lend  attractiveness 
to  the  Lincoln  Park  of  the  West  when  completed  in 
the  near  future. 

One  of  the  best-known  landscape  artists  of  the  coun- 
try is  engaged  for  plans  for  beautifying  the  grounds  in 


172  C6e   CDeatre 

keeping  with  the  pretentious  building  scheme.  While 
the  public  will  enjoy  park,  menagerie  and  picnic  privi- 
leges in  the  fore  of  this  wide-spreading  place,  eight 
directors,  with  their  acting  hosts,  will  film  dramas, 
allegories,  comedies,  thrilling  Westerns  and  famous 
productions  in  the  working  half  of  the  enormous  place. 
Here  will  be  found  sets  and  locations  for  all  classes  of 
plays,  from  the  primeval  to  the  last  word  in  modern 
presentations.  Jungles,  morasses,  forest  effects,  bat- 
tle fields — all  will  be  at  hand  for  the  busy  producers. 

Already  six  companies  are  at  work  there.  For  more 
than  a  year  animal  productions,  which  became  world- 
famous  over  night,  have  been  filmed  at  the  incomplete 
Zoo.  Here  are  seen  such  notable  players  as  Kathlyn 
Williams,  whose  "Adventures  of  Kathlyn"  were  put 
on  within  this  wondrous  enclosure.  With  her  is  seen 
Thomas  Santschi,  the  two  being  the  originators  of 
Selig  animal  pictures,  pioneering  the  way  for  all  fol- 
lowers in  this  dangerous  profession.  Tom  Mix,  the 
cowboy  actor,  and  his  daring  after-riders  and  perform- 
ers, also  are  leading  the  strenuous  life  before  Zoo 
cameras.  The  producers  include  some  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful in  the  profession,  while,  as  a  side  line,  Mr.  Selig 
has  added  a  corps  of  famous  authors  to  prepare  photo- 
plays for  the  screen.  Mr.  Thomas  A.  Persons  is  the 
general  manager. 

The  Zoo,  one  of  six  great  establishments  operated 
by  the  "wizard,"  will  soon  have  a  combined  expense 
and  payroll   of  $350,000  annually — a  hint  of  W.   N. 
Selig's  energy  afield  in  the  West. 
$>      ^      &  ^ 

Probably  no  other  merchant  prince  of  America  has 
ever  accomplished  so  much  in  so  short  a  time,  or  has 
been  so  remarkably  successful  since  reaching  America 


THOMAS  SANTSCHI 


CHARLES  CLARY 


KATHLYN  WILLIAMS  BESSIE  EYTON 

Four  Selig  Stars 


of    Science 


as  has  Siegmund  Lubin,  whose  name  is  known 
throughout  the  universe  and  wherever  the  cinmato- 
graph  is  in  use. 

Scientists,  merchants,  statesmen,  men  of  art  and  let- 
ters will  go  down  to  posterity  as  having  achieved  re- 
markable successes.  Lubin  will  be  always  remem- 
bered as  the  genius  who  combined  dramatic  power 
with  the  wizardry  of  finance  and  made  it  possible  to 
commercialize  the  film  industry  and  place  it  upon  a 
plane  of  remarkable  efficiency  so  that  those  who 
wished  to  invest  their  capital  in  the  business  could 
find  there  a  stable,  successful  undertaking. 

Starting  in  a  most  obscure  way  in  his  own  optical 
store  which  he  established  in  Philadelphia  soon  after 
his  arrival  in  this  country,  Mr.  Lubin  began  to  per- 
fect his  ideas  as  to  the  cinematograph.  When  he  had 
progressed  to  the  extent  of  perfecting  a  suitable  ma- 
chine, he  devoted  himself  to  the  camera,  and  when  he 
had  what  he  wanted  he  started  to  take  the  pictures 
himself  as  an  experiment. 

In  those  days  greater  liberties  were  taken  as  to  de- 
tails in  the  way  of  production,  and  often  now  when 
this  picture  genius  steps  into  his  studios  and  sees  the 
efforts  of  some  of  the  latter-day  directors  and  their 
temperamental  efforts,  he  silently  wonders  what  they 
would  have  done  a  dozen  years  ago,  had  they  not  pos- 
sessed the  facilities  which  they  do  at  the  present  time. 

It  was  not  long  before  every  one  in  Philadelphia  be- 
gan to  know  of  Lubin  and  Lubin  films.  His  reputa- 
tion grew  as  the  business  prospered;  and  keen  to  dis- 
cern the  future  of  the  industry,  Mr.  Lubin  engaged 
in  the  exhibition  business,  and  four  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful picture-houses  in  the  city,  located  on  Market 
Street,  the  city's  greatest  transient  thoroughfare,  made 


Cfte    Cfteatte 


for  him  a  small-sized  fortune.  This  a  decade  before 
other  producers  who  are  to-day  doing  the  same  thing 
on  Broadway. 

Besides  the  fortune,  Mr.  Lubin  had  a  greater  repu- 
tation than  he  ever  before  possessed.  Every  dollar  in 
profits  went  back  into  the  production  of  films  and 
with  it  came  the  same  increased  profits.  The  larger 
plant  and  the  greater  productions  that  began  to  come 
from  the  Lubin  studios  continued  to  lead  the  way  for 
other  American  producers,  until  to-day  Lubin  films 
are  in  use  in  every  country  upon  which  the  sun  shines, 
and  the  export  business  of  the  company  of  which  Mr. 
Lubin  is  the  head  is  as  great  as  the  output  for  domes- 
tic exhibition. 

The  greatest  evidence  of  the  Lubin  foresight  was 
the  fact  that  he  built  a  plant  large  enough  to  manu- 
facture the  films  not  only  made  in  his  own  studios  but 
is  now  also  turning  out  regular  releases  of  four  of  the 
largest  film  companies  in  America  to-day.  The  Lubin 
plant  is  still  growing  by  leaps  and  bounds,  and,  if 
needed,  the  two  factories  could  to-day  turn  out  two 
million  feet  of  film  every  twenty-four  hours. 

Manufacturers  have  talked  about  the  film  industry 
as  being  still  in  its  infancy.  While  they  have  talked, 
Siegmund  Lubin  has  studied  and  built.  What  his 
plans  for  the  future  are  no  one  but  himself  knows. 
It  is  no  uncommon  sight  to  see  him  send  for  one  of 
his  executives  and  unfold  to  that  official  plans  for  the 
future  that  are  simply  staggering  in  their  resource- 
fulness, and  after  the  executive  has  reported  back 
with  the  cost  of  the  new  undertaking,  the  plan  is  either 
put  into  operation,  or  filed  away  in  that  wonderful 
storehouse,  ready  for  development  when  the  mind  of 


SIEGMUND  LUBIN  1 

One  of  the  pillars  of  the  film  industry,  a  man  beloved  by  employees  and  respected  by  his 
competitors 


of    Science 


the  master  film  producer  regards  the  time  propitious 
for  its  use. 

The  Philadelphia  factory  has  been  told  of  so  many 
times  that  its  history  is  not  new.  When  Mr.  Lubin 
purchased  the  magnificent  500-acre  estate  of  the  late 
John  F.  Betz,  it  was  the  first  time  that  a  film  producer 
ever  owned  outright  a  millionaire's  palace  and  all  the 
grounds  about  that  go  to  the  making  of  everything 
that  is  princely  and  regal.  Its  purchase  gave  him 
facilities  and  equipment  together  with  the  atmosphere 
that  one  could  need  for  the  production  of  the  most 
beautiful  pictures  that  the  art  can  produce. 

But  it  was  not  alone  in  the  artistic  side  of  the  busi- 
ness that  Mr.  Lubin  hoped  to  see  the  great  Betzwood 
plant  at  its  zenith.  Only  recently  the  Philadelphia 
Water  Department  suffered  from  a  broken  main,  and 
every  manufacturing  establishment  had  its  supply  cur- 
tailed. Imagine  what  such  a  loss  would  mean  to  the 
Lubin  Company.  With  hundreds  of  releases  of  their 
own  and  other  companies  held  up  because  of  the  ac- 
cident, the  new  factory  at  Betzwood  was  there  ready 
to  relieve  the  congestion. 

The  entire  factory  was  switched  to  Betzwood.  Rail- 
road fares  of  the  factory  force  amounted  to  $600  for 
three  days'  work,  and  every  release  went  out  on  time 
and  the  company  saved  a  loss  of  $35,000  a  day.  Had 
Mr.  Lubin  not  seen  ahead  at  least  a  dozen  years  and 
had  a  supply  of  chemically  pure  artesian  well-water, 
absolutely  free  from  all  chemical  impurities,  at  Betz- 
wood, miles  away  from  the  pollution  of  a  city  water- 
shed, his  business  for  three  days  would  have  been  so 
crippled  that  the  prestige  of  the  Lubin  plant  would 
have  been  materially  curtailed. 

Eight  automobiles  running  hourly  back  and  forth 


176 Cfte    Cfteatre 

from  the  Philadelphia  plant  to  the  Betzwood  factory, 
a  distance  of  twenty- three  miles,  took  the  films  that 
were  printed  in  Philadelphia  and  developed  at  Betz- 
wood. It  cost  extra  money  to  keep  to  the  schedule, 
but  the  films  went  out  on  time,  every  Lubin  release 
went  out  on  schedule,  every  film  of  other  manufactur- 
ers was  delivered  when  it  was  promised,  and  every 
outgoing  steamship  that  was  booked  to  carry  the  Lu- 
bin films  had  their  consignment  when  it  was  due. 

It  is  matters  of  detail  of  this  sort  that  continually 
show  the  resourcefulness  of  Mr.  Lubin.  It  is  not  with- 
in the  power  of  man  to  say  that  this  remarkable  man 
will  always  be  able  to  meet  all  the  exigencies  of  every 
occasion,  but  if  brains  can  make  perfect  equipment 
and  efficient  personnel  of  his  wonderful  enterprise, 
then  Siegmund  Lubin  is  going  to  continue  to  be  the 
dominant  factor  in  the  film  industry  as  long  as  he  con- 
tinues to  enjoy  the  life  which  has  so  far  been  won- 
derfully blessed  by  a  Divine  Providence. 

Great  problems  have  been  worked  out  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  industry.  Mr.  Lubin  is  one  of  the 
firm  believers  that  the  motion  picture  will  continue  to 
be  a  greater  factor  than  ever  in  the  educational  world. 
He  looks  to  the  day  when  its  use  in  the  class-rooms 
is  going  to  be  the  universal  affair.  He  has  watched 
the  industry  grow,  and  is  ready  at  all  times  to  meet 
the  demands  which  will  be  made  upon  him.  His  suc- 
cess has  brought  him  a  considerable  personal  fortune, 
but  with  his  success  has  also  come  the  confidence  of 
the  financial  world,  and  whatever  the  great  producer 
needs  for  his  future  developments  is  his  for  the  asking, 
and  with  such  a  genius  as  he  at  the  head  of  the  indus- 
try, it  is  small  wonder  that  thousands  of  men  are  will- 
ing to  invest  millions  of  capital  in  an  industry  that  has 


of    Science 


proved  to  be  one  of  the  most  remarkable  in  the  history 
of  the  world. 

As  the  film  business  has  been  an  epoch-maker,  so 
Siegmund  Lubin  and  his  remarkable  success  are 
marked  indelibily  upon  the  history  of  the  "Theatre  of 
To-morrow,"  and  whenever  the  historians  of  the  cen- 
turies to  come  tell  of  the  story  of  the  cinematograph 
and  its  glories,  such  history  without  the  name  of  Lu- 
bin as  a  "master  mind"  will  be  like  the  story  of  the 
Battle  of  Waterloo  without  its  Wellington,  or  of  Get- 
tysburg without  its  Meade.  On  June  14,  1914,  the 
Lubin  plant  was  damaged  by  fire  ;  loss  about  a  million 
dollars.  Work  on  new  building  began  at  once. 

Many  master  minds  of  the  motion-picture  manufac- 
turers have  for  some  time  back  been  concentrated  upon 
the  educational  features  of  this  industry  and  the  pos- 
sibility for  research  it  offers.  Siegmund  Lubin,  of 
Philadelphia,  is  paying  much  attention  to  this  depart- 
ment. He  has  given  us  pictures  of  the  crab,  oyster, 
sardine,  milk,  turtle,  turpentine,  orange,  grapefruit, 
peanut  and  sponge  industry,  the  making  of  hay,  the 
evolution  of  the  grain  from  the  cornfield  to  the  staff 
of  life,  the  ostrich  farm,  the  sport  of  catching  jewfish, 
the  making  of  pottery,  scenes  over  the  sea  celebration 
which  will  become  a  matter  of  history  and  aviation 
warfare  practice  with  the  aeroplane  and  biplanes  in 
full  action  at  the  garrison.  Again,  the  inoculation  of 
tuberculosis  and  suchlike  vital  diseases  from  our  pop- 
ulation. Recently  the  celebrated  Dr.  Weisenberg  gave 
an  important  lecture  at  the  local  clinic  of  Scranton. 
The  lecture  was  freely  illustrated  by  pictures  made  by 
Mr.  Lubin,  giving  vivid  scenes  taken  in  important  san- 
itariums devoted  to  insanity  and  nervous  diseases. 
The  same  firm  has  now  traveling  three  big  organiza- 


Cfre    Cfteatre 


tions,  taking  geographical  scenes  and  animated  pic- 
tures of  Spanish-American  life.  Pictures  have  occu- 
pied an  important  place  in  the  affections  of  the  hu- 
man race  from  the  earliest  days,  and  there  has  always 
been  a  demand  for  pictorial  representations  of  famil- 
iar scenes,  which  at  once  evince  and  satisfy  the  nat- 
ural human  instinct.  These  were  the  first  indications 
of  refinement.  The  Egyptians,  perhaps  the  greatest, 
learned  to  depict  in  vivid  strokes  and  with  a  lavish 
hand  the  daily  life  of  their  people.  These  pictorial 
representations,  as  may  be  readily  seen  by  reference 
to  Egyptian  antiquities,  were  by  no  means  equal  to 
those  we  have  to-day,  but  such  as  they  were,  they  rep- 
resent the  natural  craving  for  pictures,  and  without  a 
doubt  the  Egyptians  would  have  been  the  first  to  ap- 
preciate our  filmic  representations  of  life.  The  mo- 
tion picture  may,  furthermore,  be  considered  as  a 
brain  stimulant,  and,  if  employed  in  our  schools,  would 
develop  the  brain  in  a  natural  manner  and  sooner  than 
by  the  text-book  method.  The  cinematograph  is  a 
modern  instance  of  the  magic  carpet  of  "The  Arabian 
Nights"  transporting  us  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth  and  showing  us  the  wonders  of  the  world. 

Of  course,  the  manuscript  is  the  cornerstone  of  the 
moving-picture  structure.  In  addition  to  the  stories 
supplied  by  the  staff  of  writers  in  the  Lubin  Scenario 
Department,  scores  are  received  every  day  from  ama- 
teur writers.  These  are  faithfully  read  by  the  readers 
in  the  scenario  room,  and  such  as  show  originality  are 
selected  and  placed  before  a  committee  of  expert  writ- 
ers, perhaps  to  be  rejected,  but  in  most  cases  edited 
and  put  into  acting  shape  to  be  turned  over  to  the  di- 
rectors for  production.  The  scenes  are  photographed 
on  the  negative  film  in  the  studio,  which  is  a  large 


of    Science 179 

building  well  lighted  by  ample  window  surface  and 
skylights  so  that  the  daylight  might  be  used ;  however, 
a  large  percentage  of  the  scenes  are  photographed  un- 
der artificial  lights  from  special  lamps  made  for  that 
purpose.  The  film  is  then  sent  up  to  the  dark  room, 
put  on  a  rack,  and  is  developed,  and  the  finishing 
touches  put  to  it  in  the  hypo  tank,  washed  in  filtered 
water  in  the  washing  machine  with  very  fine  sprays, 
dried  by  air,  and  then  sent  to  the  printing  room,  where 
the  negative  film  is  printed  by  electric  printing  ma- 
chines on  the  positive  film.  The  positive  film  is  then 
put  through  the  process  of  being  developed,  washed 
by  a  washing  machine  with  filtered  water,  put  into  a 
glycerine  bath,  which  hardens  the  emulsion  on  the 
film,  then  dried  by  warm  filtered  air,  polished  to  re- 
move the  scratches,  then  joined  with  film  cement  in  the 
proper  order  and  then  sent  to  the  testing  room,  where 
it  is  projected  and  the  defects,  if  any  are  found  in  the 
film,  are  taken  out  and  the  perfect  film  is  wrapped  in 
tissue  paper  and  put  into  a  tin  can  ready  to  be  shipped 
to  the  film  exchange. 


180  C6e   C&eatre 


CHAPTER    IX 

When  a  man  is  practical  and  honest  and  works  with 
his  head  and  hands,  some  measure  of  success  will  sure- 
ly attend  him.  There  are  individuals  who  have  these 
qualifications  to  which  are  added  the  faculty  of  em- 
ploying men  and  money  and  then  the  success,  meas- 
ured in  results  and  dollars,  becomes  stupendous.  It  is 
always  interesting  to  look  back  into  the  life  of  such 
men  to  discover  the  earlier  indications  that  always 
manifest  themselves.  Take  Charles  Jour j on,  for  ex- 
ample. M.  Jour  j  on,  head  of  the  Eclair  Film  Company, 
with  thirty  branches  and  agencies  and  auxiliary  con- 
cerns in  as  many  of  the  large  capitals  of  the  world,  was 
for  four  years  president  of  the  Association  Generate 
des  Etudiants,  the  student  body  of  Lycee  Charlemagne, 
a  branch  of  the  Paris  University.  His  election  was  al- 
ways by  popular  acclaim,  the  votes  coming  from  30,000 
of  his  fellow  students.  Nothing  better  is  needed  to 
reflect  organizing  ability  and  enduring  popularity. 

Charles  Jour  j  on  is  a  native  of  France,  where  he  re- 
ceived his  education.  He  graduated  in  Paris  at  the  age 
oT twenty-four  years  with  the  degree  of  LL.B.  He  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  law,  and  served  in  the  army  of 


of 


France.  At  twenty-nine  he  married  Mile.  Dubuloy, 
and  promptly  gave  up  his  legal  practice  to  form  the 
Societe  Frangaise  des  Films  et  Cinematographes  Eclair, 
doing  all  the  promotional  and  organization  work.  His 
election  to  the  presidency  of  that  concern  followed,  and 
he  still  retains  the  position. 

In  1900  he  visited  America,  combining  a  honeymoon 
trip  with  important  business.  During  the  forming  of 
the  Motion  Picture  Patents  Company,  the  head  of 
Eclair  failed  to  appreciate  the  possibilities  it  offered 
and  did  not  join. 

The  Eclair  companies  are  amazing  in  their  activities 
and  scope.  There  are  five  hundred  employes  in  the 
Paris  plant,  not  including  the  various  stock  companies. 
In  passing,  it  will  be  well  to  note  that  everything  that 
can  be  accomplished  by  labor-saving,  modern  machines 
is  employed.  The  Eclair  company  claims  to  be  the  pio- 
neer in  engaging  dramatic  stars  for  film  production, 
Sarah  Bernhardt  being  an  example.  Eclair  companies 
in  foreign  countries  are  known  by  those  mystifying 
letters,  "A.  C.  A.  D.,"  which  become  simple  with  the 
interpretation,  "Cinematograph  Association  of  Dram- 
atic Artists."  The  name  of  this  society  will  be  known 
in  America  as  Leading  Players  of  France.  Among  the 
promises  we  are  to  have  Eclair's  weekly  newsfilm, 
which  will  offer  many  innovations.  M.  Jour  j  on  be- 
lieves in  the  theory  of  supplying  the  camera  to  the  di- 
rectors of  a  group  of  famous  players  ;  passing  upon  the 
merits  of  the  finished  film,  and  then  arranging  the  mar- 
keting on  a  royalty  basis,  not  unlike  the  practice  of 
book  publishing.  Among  the  big  things  that  now  oc- 
cupy the  attention  of  the  Paris  studios  is  the  filming  of 
the  Jules  Verne  stories,  the  first  of  the  series  being 
"The  Children  of  Captain  Grant."  These  will  all  be 


182 Cfte   Cfieatre 

multiple  lengths — six  or  seven  reels.  Due  to  the  warm 
personal  friendship  of  M.  Jourjon  and  the  nephew  of 
Jules  Verne,  this  right  was  obtained  for  Eclair  in  the 
face  of  keen  competition.  In  addition  to  the  manu- 
facture of  films,  the  Eclair  Film  Company  is  owner  of 
another  concern  which  operates  numerous  exchanges 
in  Europe. 

The  American  branch  has  only  recently  been  incor- 
porated, capitalized  at  $250,000.  Mr.  Jourjon  is  per- 
sonally supervising  the  erection  of  a  new  studio  and 
factory  at  Fort  Lee,  N.  J.,  which  he  thinks  will  be  the 
largest  in  America.  This  is  the  eighth  studio  he  has 
built  and  will  be  thoroughly  efficient  and  up-to-now  in 
its  appointments. 

Jourjon,  the  man,  is  typical  of  culture  and  is  cour- 
teous to  the  last  degree.  He  maintains  a  summer  home 
at  Espernay  and  a  house  in  Paris.  He  organized  and 
still  retains  an  interest  in  Film  D'Art,  and  is  a  partner 
of  the  Savoia  Film  Company.  He  also  owns  two  small 
theatres  in  Paris,  and  The  Arena,  a  very  large  motion- 
picture  theatre  in  Brussels. 

It  would  seem  that  with  the  responsibilities  that 
must  follow  in  connection  with  so  many  business  ac- 
tivities, there  would  be  no  possible  moment  for  other 
things.  But  M.  Jourjon  is  the  vice-president  of  the 
Chambre  Syndicate  des  Editeurs,  which  he  assisted  in 
organizing  in  Paris.  This  is  the  film  parliament  of  Eu- 
rope, with  three  principal  subdivisions,  embracing  the 
manufacturers,  the  exchangemen,  and  the  exhibitors. 
When  he  is  in  Paris,  M.  Jourjon  devotes  most  of  his 
time  to  the  Chambre.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Cercle  Republican  of  Paris — a  political  and  business 
organization. 

Jourjon's  single  hobby  is  architecture,  which  he  pre- 


CH.  JOURJON 

President  Eclair  Film  Co. 


ALEC  B.  FRANCIS 

Leading  Man  Eclair  Film  Co. 


BARBARA  TENNANT 

Leading  Lady  Eclair  Film  Co. 


SCENE  DEPARTMENT,  ECLAIR  STUDIO,  FORT  LEE,  N.  J. 
(Eclair  Film  Co.) 


of 


fers  above  all  things  except  films.  He  would  follow  it 
as  a  business  if  he  had  the  time.  All  of  the  blueprints 
of  his  various  works  were  made  from  tracings  of  his 
own  creation.  His  biggest  piece  of  luck  was  in  miss- 
ing the  "Titanic"  upon  which  he  had  reservation.  He 
missed  the  ill-fated  boat  and  followed  on  the  Savoia 
twelve  hours  later.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the 
Savoia  assisted  in  the  search  for  those  who  met  with 
disaster. 

M.  Jourjon  was  born  at  Espernay,  France,  Decem- 
ber 25,  1876.  His  father  was  a  pharmaceutical  chem- 
ist. Espernay  is  the  center  of  the  great  French  cham- 
pagne-making district,  but  its  influence  on  Jourjon  is 
without  a  trace. 

Histrionic  genius  has  found  at  last,  thanks  to  the 
moving  pictures,  the  one  thing  it  has  always  sighed 
for  in  vain  —  immortality.  Long  years  after  the  great 
actor  and  actress  have  passed  out  of  this  life,  their  art 
will  live  and  be  revealed  by  motion  pictures  to  future 
generations.  A  century  hence  this  world  will  know 
and  realize  the  genius  of  Sarah  Bernhardt  just  as  we 
who  have  seen  her  in  the  flesh  do  to-day.  Sothern  and 
Marlowe's  magnificent  portrayals  of  Shakespearean 
roles  may  afford  delight  for  lovers  of  noble  acting  in 
all  the  generations  to  come.  Indeed,  the  very  thought 
of  the  number  of  these  future  audiences  staggers  the 
imagination. 

The  idea  of  embalming  the  art  of  the  actor,  making 
it  available  for  all  time  and  enduring  as  the  marbles 
of  Phidias,  was  first  conceived  by  a  modest  little  man 
named  Adolph  Zukor.  It  is  a  big  idea,  a  great,  bold, 
daring  plan  ;  but  big  ideas  and  daring  plans  come  nat- 
urally to  Mr.  Zukor,  and  no  one  who  knows  him  is  sur- 
prised that  he  should  have  first  conceived  the  purpose 


184 Cftc   Cfteatre 

to  immortalize  the  genius  of  the  contemporary  stage 
and  carry  it  out  so  successfully. 

Mr.  Zukor  has  the  face  and  eyes  of  the  dreamer,  and 
the  quiet  earnestness  of  the  man  who  accomplishes 
great  things.  A  few  years  ago  but  few  people  in  the 
theatrical  business  knew  Adolph  Zukor ;  now  his  name 
is  on  every  actor's  lips,  and  the  corporation  which  he 
organized  to  execute  his  vast  plan — the  Famous  Play- 
ers Film  Company — has  already  earned  honor  and  re- 
nown throughout  the  civilized  world.  Yet  this  is  only 
the  beginning  of  an  enterprise  destined  to  be  the  great- 
est factor  in  the  making  of  theatrical  history  that  the 
stage  has  ever  known. 

Already  Mr.  Zukor  has  demonstrated  that  his  faith 
in  the  famous  play  in  motion  pictures  was  justified. 
He  has  already  presented  Sarah  Bernhardt  in  "Queen 
Elizabeth,"  James  K.  Hackett  in  "The  Prisoner  of 
Zenda,"  Mrs.  Fiske  in  "Tess  of  the  D'Urbervilles," 
James  O'Neill  in  "The  Count  of  Monte  Cristo,"  John 
Barrymore  in  "An  American  Citizen,"  Carlotta  Nillson 
in  "Leah  Kleschna,"  Cecilia  Loftus  in  "The  Lady  of 
Quality,"  Henry  E.  Dixey  in  "Chelsea  7750,"  Cyril 
t  Scott  in  "The  Day  of  Days,"  Mary  Pickford  in  "Ca- 
price," "The  Bishop's  Carriage,"  the  entire  original  Be- 
lasco  company  in  "A  Good  Little  Devil,"  and  while  this 
volume  is  in  the  course  of  production,  plans  are  going 
forward  for  the  presentation  of  William  Farnum  in 
"The  Redemption  of  David  Corson,"  Malcolm  Wil- 
liams in  "The  Brute,"  H.  B.  Warner  in  "The  Lost  Par- 
adise," Arnold  Daly  in  "The  Port  of  Missing  Men," 
Mary  Pickford  in  "Madame  Butterfly,"  and  a  produc- 
tion of  "Marta  of  the  Lowlands,"  in  which  the  famous 
emotional  actress,  Madame  Kalich,  assumes  the  stel- 


ADOLPH  ZUKOR 

President  of  Famous  Players  Film  Co. 


The  Man  Why  Has  Immortalized  the  Actor 


a  f    %)tientt iss 

lar  role,  has  already  been  produced  and  will  shortly  be 
released. 

This  program  of  famous  players  and  plays  in  motion 
pictures  is  so  impressive  that  its  full  significance  can- 
not be  fully  grasped  all  at  once. 

"Think  of  what  we  would  have  to-day  if  moving 
pictures  had  been  invented  five  hundred  years  ago!" 
This  is  Mr.  Zukor's  continual  question.  "Consider 
how  history  would  have  been  enriched/*  he  goes  on; 
"how  facilities  of  education  would  have  been  im- 
proved !  Think  how  intimately  all  the  great  figures  in 
stage  history — Shakespeare,  David  Garrick,  Kemble, 
Macready,  Edwin  Forrest,  Rachel — would  be  revealed 
to  us!  The  light  of  their  genius  would  be  imperish- 
able and  shine  as  brightly  for  us  to-day  as  it  did  in  the 
heydey  of  their  glorious  careers.  What  a  difference 
that  would  make  to  humanity!  If  we  can  give  future 
generations  what  we  of  the  present  have  missed,  I 
shall  be  more  than  satisfied." 

In  this  vision  of  future  benefits  to  the  human  race, 
in  his  enthusiasm  to  leave  something  behind  that  our 
ancestors  could  not  bequeath  to  us,  Mr.  Zukor  over- 
looked the  immediate  present,  and  forgot  for  the  mo- 
ment that  even  the  people  of  to-day  are  receiving  great 
and  immeasurable  advantages  from  his  project ;  for  he 
has  brought  within  physical  and  financial  reach  of  all 
the  great  artists  of  the  day  in  their  foremost  successes. 
Into  every  hamlet  and  village  of  the  civilized  world 
Mr.  Zukor  has  sent  his  wonderful  motion  pictures, 
bringing  before  people  who  could  never  otherwise  see 
the  great  stars  of  the  day,  the  famous  artists  and  great 
plays  that  constitute  the  Famous  Players'  program. 

When  Mr.  Zukor  contemplated  the  organization  of 
the  Famous  Players'  Film  Company,  he  realized  that 


186 Cfte   Cfteatte 

a  project  as  daring  and  radical  as  his  would  require 
the  association  of  a  theatrical  manager  respected  and 
admired  universally.  With  that  thought  in  mind  he 
approached  Daniel  Frohman,  the  veteran  theatrical 
producer,  whose  name  has  always  been  identified  with 
the  highest  and  noblest  in  the  drama.  In  justice  to 
Mr.  Frohman's  foresight  and  business  and  artistic 
judgment  be  it  said  that  he  at  once  sensed  the  pos- 
sibilities of  this  gigantic  plan,  and  became  associated 
with  Adolph  Zukor  as  managing  director  of  the  Fa- 
mous Players'  Film  Company,  and  in  this  capacity 
has  contributed  greatly  toward  the  artistic  success 
of  the  enterprise. 

Mr.  Zukor  next  interested  Edwin  S.  Porter,  known 
throughout  the  world  as  the  wizard  of  the  camera. 
No  other  producer  of  motion  pictures  has  ever  been 
able  to  equal  or  approach  the  wonderful  camera  and 
other  mechanical  effects  that  Mr.  Porter  utilizes  in 
the  production  of  motion  pictures.  Mr.  Porter,  who 
thus  became  technical  director  of  the  Famous  Players, 
will  go  down  in  the  history  of  the  motion  pictures  as 
the  father  of  the  present  form  of  photoplay,  having 
put  the  first  dramatic  story  in  motion  pictures.  He 
built  the  Edison  studio,  and  was  with  the  produc- 
ing company  for  ten  years  as  chief  director,  until  he 
organized  the  Rex  Motion  Picture  Company,  the  ar- 
tistic productions  of  which  concern  soon  made  that 
brand  universally  popular.  Together  Messrs.  Zukor, 
Frohman  and  Porter  combined  their  individual  talents, 
and  the  present  fame  of  the  Famous  Players  attests 
the  true  measure  of  their  genius,  courage,  and  zeal. 

Recently  the  Famous  Players  Film  Company  formed 
an  alliance  with  Henry  W.  Savage,  Inc.,  whereby  the 
former  concern  secures  all  the  famous  plays  controlled 


MME.  BERTHA  KALICH 


BERTHA  KALICH  IN  "MARTA  OF  THE  LOWLANDS" 

(Famous  Players  Co.) 


o  f    ft  c  i  e  n  c  e 


by  the  latter,  including  "The  Devil,"  "Madame  X," 
"The  County  Chairman,"  "Everywoman,"  and  as  I 
write  joint  announcement  comes  from  the  Famous 
Players  and  Charles  Frohman  to  the  effect  that  both 
these  powers  have  affiliated,  thus  breaking  down  the 
last  great  bar  between  the  drama  and  the  screen  —  Chas. 
Frohman,  probably  the  world's  foremost  theatrical 
producer,  with  enormous  international  operations. 
Through  this  alliance,  the  Famous  Players  acquire  for 
film  purposes  all  the  famous  Charles  Frohman  suc- 
cesses, several  hundred  in  number.  Charles  Frohman 
has  for  many  years  advocated  and  practiced  the  selec- 
tion of  the  timely  drama  with  a  contemporary  appeal. 
Hence  the  value  of  his  long  list  of  successful  plays  is 
tremendously  enhanced  for  motion  pictures. 

The  value  of  the  affiliation  to  the  Famous  Players 
and  the  bearing  it  has  on  the  future  of  the  company 
needs  no  comment,  and  definitely  determines  the  po- 
sition of  the  Famous  Players  as  the  world's  leading 
producers  of  famous  plays  in  motion  pictures. 

"Some  day  they  will  erect  a  monument  to  you  in  the 
Hall  of  Fame,  Mr.  Zukor,"  once  said  an  interviewer. 

"That  won't  be  necessary,"  he  promptly  replied,  "I 
shall  leave  a  film  of  myself  behind." 

In  another  chapter  of  the  current  volume  the  author 
expressed  the  belief  that  the  advent  of  the  two-  and 
three-hour  photoplay,  entailing  vast  outlay,  would 
bring  about  changed  conditions  in  the  methods  adopt- 
ed for  distributing  the  productivity  of  the  studio,  also 
indicating  the  probability  of  some  such  system  as  ob- 
tains in  vaudeville,  with  a  central  booking  system  pro- 
viding adequate  discipline. 

And  now  as  the  volume  goes  to  press,  comes  the  an- 
nouncement of  the  first  plan  of  this  nature  in  the  for- 


188 Cfte   Cfteatte 

mation  of  the  Paramount  Pictures  Corporation,  with 
offices  throughout  the  world.  The  plan  comprehends 
a  joint  arrangement  between  the  Jesse  L.  Lasky  Fea- 
ture Film  Co.,  the  Famous  Players  Film  Co.,  and  Bos- 
worth,  Inc.,  whereby  an  entirely  new  factor  in  the  dis- 
tribution of  feature  film  productions  was  created. 

A  collective  distributing  agency  for  this  allied  pro- 
gram has  been  organized  and  incorporated  with  the 
following  officers:  President  and  General  Manager, 
William  W.  Hodkinson ;  Vice-President,  James  Steele, 
of  the  Famous  Players  Film  Service,  Inc.,  of  Pitts- 
burg,  Pa.,  and  Chicago,  111.;  Secretary  and  Treasurer, 
Raymond  Pawley,  of  the  Famous  Players  Exchange, 
Asbury  Park,  N.  J. ;  Directors :  Hiram  Abrams,  of  the 
Master  Productions  Film  Co.,  Boston,  Mass. ;  William 
L.  Sherry,  of  the  Wm.  L.  Sherry  Feature  Film  Co.,  of 
New  York. 

The  capitalization  of  the  organization  was  given  as 
being  sufficient  to  conduct  a  mammoth  program  of 
feature  film  productions,  the  amount  covering  the  re- 
quirements of  the  new  corporation  law  and  being  ab- 
solutely insignificant  as  regards  the  actual  capitaliza- 
tion and  scope  of  the  company. 

The  writer  believes  that  this  amalgamation  of  three 
of  the  large  film  manufacturers  will  bring  about  the 
adoption  of  theatrical  methods  of  business  procedure, 
particularly  in  the  "booking"  of  that  class  of  produc- 
tions for  the  screen  which  constitute  an  entire  enter- 
tainment. The  influence  of  William  L.  Sherry  is  to  be 
observed  in  this  comprehensive  plan  to  separate  the 
massive  film  productions  from  the  ordinary  releases 
of  the  studios,  and  the  season  of  1914-15  is  due  to  wit- 
ness a  greatly  improved  condition  in  the  amusement 
field,  wherein  the  local  manager  for  the  first  time  in  a 


WM.  L.  SHERRY 

Of  Par-mount  Pictures  Corporation 


FRANCIS  BUSHMAN 

Winner  of  "Ladies'  World"  Contest 


HARRY  R.  RAVER 

Who  directs  the  tours  in  this  country  of 
"Cabiria" 


HERBERT  ELACHE 

Pioneer  Producer  of  Photoplays 


of    Science 189 

decade  will  have  a  plethora  of  attractions  to  choose 
from. 

Mr.  Sherry's  short  career  as  a  "State  rights"  buyer 
once  more  demonstrates  the  opportunity  existent  in 
the  amusement  field  for  the  astute  business  man  whose 
greater  asset  is  the  adoption  of  sound  business  prin- 
ciples. Sixteen  months  ago  this  man  came  into  the 
film  arena  bent  upon  conquest;  his  first  important  act 
was  to  purchase  the  New  York  State  rights  for  the 
"Prisoner  of  Zenda"  (James  K.  Hackett).  Following 
the  success  of  this  investment  Mr.  Sherry  purchased 
the  New  York  State  rights  for  all  of  the  Famous  Play- 
ers, Lasky  and  other  lar^e  productions. 

Mr.  Sherry  told  the  writer  that  he  was  impressed 
with  the  ultimate  benefit  to  the  speaking  stage  as  a 
result  of  the  film  productions  of  famous  plays  with 
well-known  players.  He  stated  also  that  he  had  ob- 
served a  tendency  on  the  part  of  photoplaygoers  to 
flock  to  the  playhouses  when  these  players  were  re- 
vealed in  the  flesh  at  higher  admission  prices.  One 
may  not  be  far  amiss  if  a  prediction  is  ventured  in 
connection  with  the  increased  theatrical  activities  of 
the  Zukors,  Sherrys,  Laskys  and  their  associates.  Five 
years  ago  the  writer  expressed  the  belief  that  the  Mar- 
cus Loews  and  William  Foxes  would  create  an  up- 
heaval in  the  amusement  field.  Now  the  indications 
are  that  the  gentlemen  who  have  made  great  fortunes 
in  the  film  world  will  embrace  the  opportunity  that 
the  Erlangers  and  Shuberts  ignored. 

Not  only  is  it  likely  that  these  gentlemen  will  in- 
augurate a  period  of  prosperity  for  the  local  mana- 
gers of  the  nation's  playhouses,  but  such  as  they  may 
be  expected  to  undertake  to  solve  that  greater  prob- 
lem of  converting  the  photoplay  public  into  regular 


190 Cfte   Ciieatre 

patrons  of  the  so-called  legitimate  playhouses  where 
plays  and  players  are  presented  in  the  old  way. 

The  Paramount  Pictures  Corporation  dedicates  its 
efforts  to  to-morrow. 

Frank  Gersten,  the  owner  and  manager  of  the  Royal 
and  Prospect  Theatres,  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx, 
enjoys  a  reputation  unique  in  the  whole  of  New  York. 
He  belongs  to  a  race  given  to  extremes — great  figures 
that  shadow  over  mankind  and  the  lowest  trickster. 

It  may  have  been  for  this  reason  that  Mr.  Gersten, 
who  has  forged  ahead  of  the  show  world,  felt  a  press- 
ing need  to  maintain  the  highest  ideals  by  which  a 
man  could  live.  He  is  a  pioneer  in  all  those  factors 
in  the  Bronx  amusement  field  that  make  for  achieve- 
ment. When  he  first  entered  that  territory  there  was 
only  one  theatre  in  that  part  of  New  York,  and  that, 
the  Metropolis,  played  only  cheap  melodramatic  at- 
tractions. His  showmanship  instinct,  coupled  with 
sound  business  judgment,  told  him  that  this  was  to 
be  his  field,  and  as  a  result  he  built  the  Prospect  The- 
atre. That  his  judgment  was  unerring  was  soon 
proved  to  himself  and  to  the  world,  for  it  was  not 
many  years  later  that  he  erected  the  Royal  Theatre. 
Here  again  his  thorough  theatrical  training  and  his  in- 
trinsic knowledge  of  locations  showed  itself,  and  his 
discernment  in  selecting  sites  for  playhouses  again 
proved  true.  The  Royal  Theatre  to-day  is  one  of  the 
recognized  standard  theatres  of  New  York,  playing 
only  the  best  attractions  that  Broadway  has  to  offer. 
Under  Mr.  Gersten's  able  direction,  the  capacity  of 
the  house  has  been  tested  continually. 

Mr.  Gersten  was  born  in  New  York  in  1870.  When 
eighteen  he  connected  with  Barnum  &  Bailey's  Cir- 
cus, as  a  ticket  seller.  He  remained  with  the  circus 


I? 

B 


of    Science 191 

for  four  years,  and  then  accepted  the  position  as  treas- 
urer for  Weber  and  Fields  at  the  Little  Music  Hall, 
at  Twenty-ninth  street  and  Broadway,  New  York  City. 
He  held  that  position  for  three  years,  and  in  1895 
joined  hands  with  Messrs.  Hurtig  and  Seamon  in  the 
capacity  as  manager  and  auditor  for  their  circuit  of 
theatres.  He  remained  with  that  firm  for  fourteen 
years,  and  in  1909  built  the  palatial  Prospect  Theatre 
at  160th  street  and  Westchester  avenue,  Bronx.  The 
Royal  Theatre  was  opened  September  6th,  1913. 

To  keep  in  the  forefront  of  human  achievement  re- 
quires unremitting  endeavor.  To  have  always  been — 
and  still  to  remain — an  acknowledged  leader  in  all  that 
pertains  to  the  theatre  shows  unalterable  purposeful- 
ness  during  a  lifetime  of  progress. 

Marcus  Loew,  supreme  in  "small-time"  vaudeville  in 
the  East  and  West,  owes  his  start  to  motion  pictures, 
and  lately  has  used  big-feature  films  to  stimulate  busi- 
ness in  his  picture  and  vaudeville  theatres. 

Marcus  Loew  has  discovered  that  the  names  of  well- 
known  producers,  combined  with  familiar  names  of 
plays  and  players,  have  proved  a  success  from  a  box- 
office  standpoint,  and  at  the  present  writing  big  feature 
photoplays  of  three  parts  or  more  are  being  shown  in 
practically  all  of  his  theatres. 

Mr.  Loew  contracted  to  show  exclusively  in  his  the- 
atres all  the  photoplay  productions  released  by  Klaw 
and  Erlanger,  which  have  proved  big  money  winners 
for  him.  After  "The  Fatal  Wedding,"  the  first  K  and 
E  film,  was  shown  at  the  Palace  Theatre,  it  was  shown 
in  all  the  Loew  houses,  and  now  his  theatres  present 
the  pictures  exclusively.  "The  Fatal  Wedding"  proved 
an  artistic  and  financial  triumph.  "Classmates"  helped 
break  records  at  the  American  Theatre,  and  "The  Bil- 


192 C6e   Cfteatte 

lionaire,"  "Strongheart,"  "Lord  Chumley,"  "Seven 
Days"  and  others  held  strong. 

In  addition  to  these  Mr.  Loew  featured  the  Famous 
Players'  films,  including  "A  Good  Little  Devil,"  "In 
the  Bishop's  Carriage,"  "Hearts  Adrift,"  "The  Pride 
of  Jennico,"  "Tess  of  the  Storm  Country,"  and  others, 
enhanced  by  the  names  of  Belasco  and  Frohman  as 
producers.  So  successful  were  the  feature  photoplays 
that  Mr.  Loew  put  them  into  the  Avenue  B  Theatre 
exclusively  and  had  "Famous  Players'  Week"  at  the 
Broadway,  with  remarkable  results. 

The  Jesse  Lasky  films  were  also  shown  exclusively 
in  the  Loew  theatres.  "The  Squaw  Man"  packed  every 
theatre  where  it  was  presented,  and  others  were  equal- 
ly successful. 

Mr.  David  Bernstein,  general  manager  and  treasurer 
of  the  Marcus  Loew  theatrical  enterprises,  has  been 
with  Mr.  Loew  longer  than  any  of  his  chiefs.  He 
started  with  Mr.  Loew  nine  years  ago,  when  the  pres- 
ent Napoleon  of  vaudeville  was  conducting  penny  ar- 
cades in  New  York.  He  was  bookkeeper  for  Mr.  Loew 
at  $16  per  week,  and  when  Mr.  Loew  opened  a  moving 
picture  theatre  eight  years  ago  Mr.  Bernstein  became 
interested  in  pictures  and  has  made  a  keen  and  close 
study  of  them  ever  since.  He  is  a  picture  fan  and  is 
enthusiastic  over  their  possibilities.  Mr.  Bernstein  has 
booked  and  routed  all  the  big-feature  pictures  used 
in  the  Marcus  Loew  theatres  in  New  York  and  else- 
where, including  some  of  the  world's  greatest  photo- 
play productions,  and  has  a  unique  distinction  of  being 
manager  of  one  of  the  first  film  exchanges  ever  es- 
tablished. 

When  the  Sullivan-Considine  Circuit  was  purchased 
by  Marcus  Loew,  Mr.  Bernstein  immediately  showed 


of    Science 193 

the  possibilities  for  providing  patrons  of  Mr.  Loew's 
Western  theatres  with  the  world's  best  photoplays. 
He  will  book  and  route  big-feature  pictures  over  the 
Western  circuit  the  way  he  is  now  doing  in  the  East. 
The  great  number  of  theatres  and  the  length  of  time 
which  he  could  use  pictures  will  enable  him  to  secure 
some  of  the  greatest  photoplays  ever  produced.  Mr. 
Bernstein  has  a  wide  acquaintance  among  the  film 
men  in  New  York.  It  is  authoritatively  stated  that 
Mr.  Bernstein  now  earns  $50,000  a  year,  a  statement 
which  reflects  some  idea  of  the  way  Marcus  Loew 
appreciates  good  service. 

Numbered  amongst  the  foremost  of  history  makers 
in  the  motion-picture  field  is  the  Essanay  Film  Manu- 
facturing Company,  whose  real  birth  dates  back  to  the 
time  when  pioneering  in  the  film  business  was  just  as 
arduous  as  was  pioneering  in  the  early  history  of  our 
country.  However,  two  of  these  pioneers — George  K. 
Spoor  and  G.  M.  Anderson — thoroughly  believing  in 
their  own  convictions,  and  whose  convictions  meant  the 
fulfilment  of  their  belief  regardless  of  the  opinions  of 
others  or  of  the  seeming  impossible  barriers  that  lay 
along  their  course,  struggled  forward  meeting  reverses, 
set-backs,  and  discouraging  situations,  that  would  have 
caused  ordinary  men  to  seek  other  fields  of  activity. 

These  two,  however,  were  imbued  with  the  business 
in  which  they  had  launched,  every  moment  of  their 
existence  was  wrapped  around  it.  It  was  a  baby  they 
were  fostering  and  mothering,  and  with  the  unerring 
judgment  that  can  only  be  associated  with  such  spirits 
and  broad  minds,  they  slowly  crossed  the  initial  wastes 
and  seemingly  impossible  pass  until  they  achieved 
what  they  had  set  out  to  accomplish — a  firm  whose 
name  was  synonmous  with  the  best  there  is  in  motion- 


Cfieatre 


picture  art.  This  does  not  mean  that  they  have  reached 
the  zenith  of  their  endeavors.  Even  now  the  spirit 
which  placed  these  two  gentlemen  in  the  foremost 
ranks  is  still  urging  them  to  bigger  and  better  things, 
it  is  their  claim  that  they  are  still  pioneering,  but  pio- 
neering on  a  more  advanced  scale,  with  more  modern 
equipment  and  more  improved  appliances. 

Where  many  have  set  back  and  lolled  in  comfort 
watching  the  results  of  their  efforts,  these  two  enter- 
prising individuals  exercising  the  same  foresight  they 
did  when  entering  the  business,  are  striving  toward  a 
bigger  attainment  than  that  they  have  already  reached, 
and  set  their  aims  and  ambitions  for  a  goal  which  looms 
on  the  distant  horizon  of  the  business.  It  has  been 
proven  in  all  their  doings  that  they  are  builders  —  build- 
ers of  the  motion-picture  business  as  a  business  and  as 
an  art.  Their  policy  has  always  been  constructive,  and 
their  aims  to  erect,  avoiding  the  association  of  the  de- 
stroyer whose  influence  would  only  be  detrimental. 

I  will  delve  away  back  in  history  and  show  how  such 
kindred  minds  happened  to  become  associated  in  this 
big  enterprise.  This  meeting  of  George  K.  Spoor  and 
Gilbert  M.  Anderson  was  accidental.  It  certainly  was 
accidental,  surely  providential  ;  and  it  smirks  a  little  of 
the  romantic.  In  the  conversation  that  ensued  follow- 
ing the  meeting,  they  found  that  their  views  on  the 
motion-picture  business  coincided.  They  each  realized 
the  vastness  of  the  future,  and  within  a  few  weeks  after 
this  chance  meeting  the  firm  of  Essanay  was  launched. 
It  was  not  until  February  5,  1907,  however,  that  the 
firm  became  incorporated  under  the  trade  name  of  Es- 
sanay. 

Everyone,  of  course,  knows  the  source  of  the  firm's 
name.  How  when  it  came  to  naming  the  company  it 


ffe- 


*=m 


§1 

c/}k, 


w  s 

PQ  <« 


(4 
O 

U-, 


of    Science 


was  decided  that  a  part  of  each  one's  name  be  used, 
so  it  was  agreed  to  use  the  first  letter  of  Mr.  Spoor's 
name  and  the  first  letter  of  Mr.  Anderson's  name,  giv- 
ing us  S  and  A,  which  was  given  the  lengthy  spelling 
of  ESSANAY.  All  of  this  happened  long,  long  before 
there  was  any  material  advance  made  in  the  motion- 
picture  business,  when  all  were  floundering  about 
trusting  to  luck  to  strike  the  proper  course  to  pursue 
toward  the  needed  advancement.  It  is  undoubtedly  to 
Mr.  Anderson's  constructive  mind  that  credit  is  due  for 
the  happy  and  timely  suggestion  that  the  Essanay  Film 
Manufacturing  Company  be  the  first  in  the  field  to  turn 
out  1,000-foot  subjects.  At  the  same  time  it  was 
agreed  that  the  firm  specialize  in  comedies  and  West- 
ern productions,  the  latter  to  be  staged  in  the  heart  of 
the  West.  The  great  importance  the  1,000-foot  sub- 
ject has  played  in  motion-picture  industry  is  obvious. 

For  years  the  one-reel  film,  as  it  became  known,  held 
sway  ;  and  it  is  only  within  the  last  few  years  that  the 
multiple-reel  films  are  known  at  all.  However,  the  big 
idea,  the  one-reeler,  is  still  in  heavy  demand.  The 
Western  subject  also,  with  its  atmosphere  of  the  plains 
and  buckskin,  showing  the  cowboy  in  all  his  pristine 
glory  and  traversing  his  native  soil  with  his  brusque 
means  of  meting  out  justice  and  his  whole-hearted  hos- 
pitality and  the  many  other  characteristics  for  which 
he  is  famed.  The  best  known  of  these  heroes  of  the 
plains  is  without  a  question  of  doubt  G.  M.  Anderson, 
the  worldwide  famous  "Broncho  Billy."  Mr.  Ander- 
son is  the  owner  of  the  Gayety  Theatre,  San  Fran- 
cisco, dedicated  in  1913. 

Pathe  Freres  in  France  occupy  ten  acres  of  ground, 
operate  four  enormous  factories,  and  have  a  staff  of 
over  6,000  employes.  Plants  are  located  in  Paris,  Join- 


196  Cfte   C&eatte 

ville-le-pont,  Montreuil  Sous  Bois,  and  Vincennes, 
where  they  have  dozens  of  studios,  several  complete 
theatres,  and  thousands  of  dollars'  worth  of  costumes 
and  scenic  equipment. 

The  leading  dramatists  of  France  write  for  them, 
such  as  Henri  Laredan,  Jules  Sandeau,  Jules  Le  Maitre 
of  the  "Comedie  Francaise."  The  greatest  actors  and 
actresses  of  France,  such  as  Messrs.  A.  Bargy,  Albert 
Lambert,  Henri  Krauss,  Silvain,  Severin,  Max  Dearly, 
Mounet-Sully,  Prince,  Max  Linder,  and  Melles;  Mes- 
dames  Tessandier,  Barat,  Robinne,  Taillade,  Cecil  So- 
rel,  Bartel,  Megard,  Geniat,  Mau,  Catherine  Fontenay, 
and  Trouhanowa. 

The  principal  American  studio  of  Pathe  Freres  is  lo- 
cated at  Jersey  City,  and  the  American  releases  are  as- 
suming a  status  quite  as  important  as  that  of  the  great 
Paris  plant.  Many  individual  producers  of  special  pic- 
tures who  have  no  studios  of  their  own  invariably  en- 
deavor to  obtain  the  aid  of  the  Pathe  producing  forces. 

The  origin  of  the  Eclectic  Film  Company  dates  back 
to  the  fall  of  1912,  when  Mr.  Ferdinand  Wolff,  of  Paris, 
realized  the  possibilities  of  entering  the  American  mar- 
ket with  carefully  selected  feature  films.  At  that  time, 
European  features  had  undisputed  sway  in  this  coun- 
try, and  the  opening  of  the  American  office  in  New 
York  City,  in  November,  1912,  was  attended  with  im- 
mediate success. 

Early  in  1913  some  of  the  most  stupendous  classic 
productions  that  have  ever  catered  to  the  American 
trade  were  placed  on  the  market  in  this  country,  name- 
ly, "Les  Miserables,"  and  "The  Mysteries  of  Paris." 
The  first  named  feature  was  condensed  from  twelve  to 
nine  parts,  and  stands  to-day  in  the  foremost  ranks  of 


of 


high-class  feature  photoplays  that  are  to  be  seen  in 
any  part  of  the  United  States  and  Canada. 

Up  to  the  summer  of  1913  the  company  made  its  re- 
leases at  irregular  intervals.  After  August  1st,  how- 
ever, a  system  of  regular  releases  was  inaugurated,  and 
films  were  disposed  of  on  the  exclusive  State-rights 
plan.  It  soon  became  apparent  that  no  permanent  sat- 
isfaction could  be  assured  along  this  line  of  procedure, 
and  the  Eclectic  Film  Company  therefore  decided  upon 
the  principle  of  marketing  its  films  through  its  own 
exchanges  wherever  thoroughly  satisfactory  marketing 
conditions  could  not  otherwise  be  secured. 

The  Eclectic  Film  Company  has  already  opened  sev- 
eral branch  offices  in  other  cities,  and  will  in  the  near 
future  have  in  operation  a  complete  system  of  ex- 
changes comprising  all  of  the  principal  cities  of  the 
United  States  and  Canada.  In  this  way,  the  company 
hopes  to  assure  the  exhibitor  the  most  advantageous 
conditions  to  secure  its  film,  eliminating  the  middle- 
man, and  dealing  directly  with  the  consumer.  The 
advantages  of  this  policy  must  be  apparent  to  all  who 
are  conversant  with  the  motion-picture  industry,, 

At  present,  the  Eclectic  Film  Company  is  making 
releases  of  three  multiple-reel  features  a  month.  These 
features  comprise  subjects  from  three  reels  up  to  eight 
reels.  The  number  of  monthly  releases  will  increase 
from  time  to  time,  as  the  need  becomes  apparent,  the 
only  guiding  principle  in  this  being  the  demand  of  the 
exhibitors  at  large.  This  company  is  making  a  spe- 
cialty of  offering  with  its  film  productions  the  highest- 
class  advertising  and  publicity  matter  that  has  ever 
been  offered  with  moving-picture  film.  Exhibitors 
have  shown  a  steadily  growing  interest  in  this  com- 
pany, which  will  no  doubt  continue  to  increase,  as  the 


198 Cfle   Cfteatte 

relations  between  the  two  factors  is  becoming  more 
intimate  with  the  opening  of  additional  exchanges. 

The  future  of  the  Eclectic  Film  Company  is  assured. 
The  policy  of  procuring  and  supplying  the  very  finest 
picture  films  available,  the  cream  of  American  and  Eu- 
ropean studios,  so  to  speak,  has  won,  and  is  winning, 
the  hearty  approval  and  active  co-operation  of  the  fore- 
most interests  of  the  country.  The  tremendous  and 
consistent  success  of  their  feature  films  bears  ample 
testimony  to  the  quality  of  Eclectic  productions. 

In  March,  1914,  the  Eclectic  Company,  in  affiliation 
with  Pathe  Freres'  American  company,  produced  "The 
Perils  of  Pauline,"  in  co-operation  with  countless  im- 
portant newspapers,  with  a  result  wholly  revolution- 
ary. "Les  Miserables"  had  a  prolonged  run  at  Car- 
negie Lyceum,  where  for  months  the  capacity  of  the 
auditorium  was  tested. 

It  was  in  the  magnificent  home  of  Herbert  Blache, 
overlooking  the  Hudson  River  from  the  high  point  of 
the  Palisades,  upon  which  is  also  located  the  Blache  & 
Solax  motion-picture  studios,  that  the  first  body  of 
men  to  see  the  importance  of  the  multiple-reel  feature 
in  the  world  of  moving  pictures  met  and  organized  the 
now  well-known  Exclusive  Supply  Corporation. 

Born  in  the  active  brain  of  Mr.  Blache,  the  "Ex- 
clusive" immediately  became  a  live  factor  in  the  world 
of  picture  affairs,  and  was  dealing  extensively  in  fea- 
ture productions  before  picture  men,  as  a  body,  real- 
ized that  the  feature  had  not  only  corne  to  stay,  but 
would  eventually  take  the  place,  in  a  large  manner,  of 
the  limited  single-reel  subject. 

Few  men  in  the  photo-drama  art  are  as  well 
equipped  to  grapple  with  the  problems  of  silent  drama 
production  as  Herbert  Blache.  Graduated  from  Paris 


"LES  MISERABLES" 
(Eclectic  Co.) 

A  Production  That  Crowded  Carnegie  Lyceum  for  Several  Months 


of    Science 199 

as  a  motion-picture  expert  and  sent  over  to  America 
as  a  representative  of  the  Gaumont  interests  before 
some  of  the  present  moving-picture  magnates  had  even 
taken  the  trouble  to  enter  a  picture  theatre  or  learn  the 
number  of  feet  in  a  reel  of  film,  Herbert  Blache  is  as 
much  at  home  writing  a  scenario,  editing  a  picture 
drama,  cutting  and  titling  a  photoplay,  or  directing  big 
spectacular  scenes  of  a  pretentious  multiple-reel  fea- 
ture as  he  is  managing  the  affairs  of  two  large  flourish- 
ing producing  companies  and  acting  as  president  of 
the  Exclusive  Supply  Corporation,  with  his  sensitive 
fingers  continually  upon  the  active  pulse  of  the  whole 
motion-picture  market,  both  in  this  country  and 
abroad. 

Few  men,  recognized  as  important  factors  in  the  af- 
fairs of  the  film  business,  are  better  known  than  Her- 
bert Blache.  Having  the  double  advantage  of  an  ex- 
ceptionally strong  and  likable  personality  and  the  re- 
spect-commanding quality  of  a  knowledge  of  his  busi- 
ness so  thorough  that  he  stands  quite  alone  in  his  po- 
sition as  an  executive  who  manages  personally  every 
department  of  his  extensive  business  and  produces  ex- 
ceptionally clever  and  successful  pictures,  as  well  as 
the  prominent  position  he  holds  in  filmdom,  must  be 
credited  to  superior  mentality  and  exceptional  ability 
rather  than  to  any  whim  of  the  Goddess  of  Luck. 

The  prominence  of  his  position  as  an  important  fig- 
ure in  the  exploitation  of  feature  productions  is  un- 
questioned. But,  added  to  that,  is  the  undisputed  fact 
that  he  stands  in  the  very  front  rank  as  a  producer  and 
master  of  the  technique  of  the  photodrama.  Among 
the  first  multiple-reel  subjects  ever  staged  I  find  no- 
table productions  by  Herbert  Blache,  and  it  is  doubt- 
ful if  any  director  in  the  world  has  a  keener  dramatic 


200 Cfte    C&eatre 

instinct  for  staging  powerful  dramatic  scenes  than  he 
possesses. 

The  rare  gift  of  staging  great  melodramatic  situa- 
tions so  that  they  contain  an  abundance  of  the  action 
so  necessary  to  a  story  told  in  pictures,  and  yet  show 
the  artistic  touch  which  puts  them  in  the  class  of  the 
refined  and  the  legitimate,  is  without  doubt  largely  re- 
sponsible for  his  success  as  a  producer,  and  has  won 
him  the  respect  and  admiration  of  theatre  managers 
and  theatre  patrons  throughout  the  civilized  world. 

The  Canadian  Bioscope  Company,  Ltd.,  of  Halifax, 
N.  S.,  was  incorporaed  under  he  laws  of  the  Nova 
Scotia  Companies  Act,  21st  day  of  November,  1912, 
with  a  capital  of  $50,000,  since  increased  to  $150,000. 
The  president,  Captain  H.  H.  B.  Holland,  late  manag- 
ing director  of  the  British  A.  A.  Film  Company,  Lim- 
ited, of  London,  England.  Vice-president  and  General 
Manager,  H.  T.  Oliver,  New  York  City.  John  Strach- 
an,  Stephen  B.  Kelly,  J.  Frank  Crowe,  and  John  H. 
Trueman,  directors.  An  up-to-date  plant  has  been 
erected  in  the  south  end  of  the  city,  on  spacious 
grounds  facing  the  beautiful  harbor  of  Halifax,  and 
within  easy  reach  of  the  woods,  hills,  forts,  and  shores 
of  the  harbor. 

The  Canadian  Bioscope  Company  have  set  a  high 
standard  in  their  first  feature  production  of  Longfel- 
low's immortal  poem,  "Evangeline,"  a  photoplay  in 
two  epochs  and  five  parts,  released  in  February,  1914, 
and  put  on  the  market,  pronounced  by  press  and  pub- 
lic a  classic  in  the  moving-picture  world.  The  aim 
and  policy  of  this  company  will  be  the  taking  of  films 
dealing  with  historic,  romantic,  classic,  pastoral,  edu- 
cational, and  instructive  subjects.  Prominence  will  be 
given  to  Canadian,  historic,  and  romantic  incidents. 


of    Defence  201 

The  actors  and  working  forces  of  the  company  are 
all  people  of  experience,  the  principals  being  selected 
from  the  leading  studios  in  New  York. 

The  Scenario  Department  is  in  charge  of  E.  P.  Sul- 
livan, well  known  in  the  theatrical  and  motion-picture 
world. 

Mr.  William  C.  Thompson,  formerly  of  Reliance  and 
Pathe  studios,  New  York  City,  is  in  charge  of  the  fac- 
tory and  laboratory  forces. 

Mr.  H.  T.  Oliver,  Vice-President  and  General  Man- 
ager of  the  company,  is  a  technical  expert  of  some  rep- 
utation in  this  country,  under  whose  direction  the  en- 
tire photographic  and  mechanical  work  is  done.  Mr. 
Oliver  was  connected  for  some  time  with  the  Edison 
and  Reliance  companies,  New  York. 

It  is  the  intention  of  the  company  soon  to  put  up  a 
producing  plant  in  London,  England,  where  pictures 
will  be  made  dealing  with  English  subjects,  also  in  the 
United  States  for  American  subjects. 

The  New  York  office,  in  the  Candler  Building,  is  in 
charge  of  Clarence  P.  Schottenfels.  Mr.  Schottenfels 
has  had  considerable  experience  in  the  moving-picture 
world. 

Although  capitalized  for  but  $50,000,  the  Pan-Amer- 
ican Film  Manufacturing  Company  is  controlling  pic- 
tures in  this  country  and  abroad  which  foot  up  a  value 
of  over  one  million  dollars.  It  is  not  the  secret  agent 
of  any  firm,  or  group  of  manufacturers,  and  does  not 
hold  any  financial  interest  in  any  of  the  pictures  ex- 
ploited ;  therefore,  all  features  are  offered  on  their  just 
merits. 

The  booking  methods  of  the  Pan-American  Company 
are  the  same  as  those  adopted  by  Klaw  &  Erlanger, 
Sam  S.  &  Lee  Shubert,  the  Northwestern,  and  all  other 


202  Cfie    Cfieatre 

first-class  circuits,  and  which  placed  the  theatrical 
business  on  a  sound  basis. 

Far-reaching  negotiations  have  been  entered  into 
for  a  market  in  the  West  Indies,  Central  and  South 
America,  and  agencies  established  in  London,  Berlin, 
Paris,  and  Sydney. 

The  part  that  woman  is  to  play  on  the  artistic  and 
business  side  of  the  film  industry  is  a  subject  well 
worthy  of  consideration  in  this  volume. 

Recently  the  revelations  of  John  C.  Freund,  editor 
of  "Musical  America,"  wherein  he  proclaimed  that  the 
annual  expenditure  for  music  in  this  country  was  $600,- 
000,000,  uncovered  an  amazing  development  in  busi- 
ness procedure  in  the  conduct  of  musical  undertakings 
directly  due  to  the  woman  impressario — and  a  vigo- 
rous figure  is  she. 

There  are  more  women  than  men  to-day  directing 
the  musical  events  of  the  nation,  and  the  majority  of 
the  great  singers  and  instrumentalists  are  represented 
by  women,  while  at  least  half  of  the  musical  bureaus 
now  controlled  by  them  have  inaugurated  an  era  of 
business  rectitude  in  a  field  that  has  been  immune  from 
the  disastrous  conditions  prevailing  in  the  theatrical 
business  generally. 

The  writer  has  dealt  with  this  subject  extensively  in 
magazines,  and  it  is  referred  to  now  merely  to  indi- 
cate the  probability  of  a  similar  influence  exerted  in 
the  motion-picture  field  by  not  a  few  women  who  have 
already  shown  their  calibre  in  the  producing  and  ex- 
hibiting sides  of  the  industry. 

The  achievements  (following  a  period  of  disappoint- 
ments and  repulses)  of  Helen  Gardner,  now  producing 
the  highest-grade  features  in  her  own  studio  at  Tap- 
pan-on-the-Hudson,  have  been  acknowledged  as  stim- 


w  « 

—   8 

3^ 


of    Science 203 

ulating  and  providing  incentive  for  others  of  her  sex  to 
enter  the  producing  field.  Miss  Gardner  was  a  Vita- 
graph  player  at  the  outset  of  her  film  career,  and  some 
of  her  portrayals  even  now  are  often  discussed  in  the 
trade  press.  One  of  these — that  of  Becky  Sharp,  in 
"Vanity  Fair" — aroused  no  little  controversy.  And 
comparisons  with  Mrs.  Fiske's  stage  portrayal  were 
inevitable.  As  Mrs.  Fiske  is  expected  to  assume  this 
role  in  a  "Famous  Players"  production,  those  who  re- 
call Miss  Gardner's  forceful  performance  will  have  an 
opportunity  to  decide  the  question.  A  memory  of  Mrs. 
Fiske's  Tess,  which  Lawrence  McCloskey  pn>- 
nounced  as  beyond  criticism,  will  create  added  interest 
in  the  revival.  But  it  is  not  so  much  Miss  Gardner's 
personal  success  as  a  photoplayer  that  has  caused  her 
name  to  become  one  to  conjure  with.  The  remarkable 
history  of  moving  pictures,  replete  as  it  is  with  amaz- 
ing achievements,  presents, no  instance  of  higher  ideals, 
persistency,  and  independent  spirit  than  have  charac- 
terized this  woman's  effort  to  accomplish  a  worthy 
task — a  task,  too,  in  which  she  has  from  the  outset  met 
opposition  at  almost  every  turn. 

Why  Miss  Gardner  left  the  Vitagraph  Company  has 
never  been  explained.  The  lady  herself  says  she  was 
discharged  because  of  rumors  prevailing  that  she  was 
about  to  become  an  independent  producer.  This  she 
emphatically  denies,  but  admits  that  within  an  hour 
after  departing  from  the  Vitagraph  Studio  with  the  aid 
of  Charles  L.  Gaskill  she  was  laying  plans  for  an 
elaborate  production  of  "Cleopatra." 

This  project,  though  conceived  and  accomplished  but 
two  years  ago,  was  regarded  at  that  time  by  producers 
and  exhibitors  as  wholly  ill-advised.  Miss  Gardner 
did  not  seek  outside  aid  of  any  sort,  her  mother  sup- 


204  Cfte    Cfteatte 

plying  her  with  the  capital  necessary  for  her  under- 
taking. She  built  her  own  studio  at  Tappan,  New 
York. 

"Cleopatra,"  as  produced  by  Miss  Gardner  and  di- 
rected by  Mr.  Gaskill,  was  surely  superior  to  any  mul- 
tiple-reel production  of  this  nature  released  by  the  es- 
tablished manufacturers  up  to  that  time.  The  writer 
has  not  up  to  this  writing  witnessed  the  Kleine-Cines 
film  version  of  "Antony  and  Cleopatra,"  announced  as 
the  inaugural  attraction  for  the  new  Candler  Theatre 
on  West  Forty-second  Street,  but  it  is  interesting  to 
observe  that  the  latter  production  has  been  presented 
in  the  West  in  several  theatres  where  Miss  Gardner's 
first  release  attracted  overwhelming  patronage. 

In  one  city  of  less  than  40,000  population,  the  Helen 
Gardner  "Cleopatra"  was  presented  an  entire  week, 
establishing  a  record  of  having  attracted  more  than 
seventy-five  per  cent  of  the  inhabitants — that  is,  over 
30,000  admission  tickets  were  sold.  In  another  city 
this  attraction  was  presented  three  times  within  a  year. 

It  is  considered  by  Miss  Gardner  that  while  exhibit- 
ors in  all  countries  have  made  money  with  her  produc- 
tions— some  have  made  small  fortunes — dividends  on 
the  investment  of  Miss  Gardner's  mother  have  been 
small  to  this  day,  but  this  is  entirely  due  to  a  policy 
different  from  that  prevailing  in  the  industry  general- 
ly, in  that  each  new  production  has  entailed  increased 
expenditure  and  above  all  considerations  Miss  Gard- 
ner has  been  uncompromising  in  demanding  sufficient 
time  for  preparation. 

This  is  so  true  that  despite  the  now  tremendous  de- 
mand for  features,  Miss  Gardner  and  her  artistic  col- 
league, Mr.  Gaskill,  have  concluded  henceforth  to  pro- 
duce not  more  than  four  pictures  a  year.  But  if  the 


of    Science  205 

aims  of  these  two  artists — the  term  is  used  here  ad- 
visedly— are  realized,  the  season  of  1914-15  may, 
through  their  achievements,  usher  in  the  advent  of  that 
vital  era  of  the  motion-picture  art  which  so  many  per- 
sons believe  is  due  to  be  hastened  by  the  unsatisfac- 
tory outcome  of  the  majority  of  the  film  productions 
of  stage  successes  of  other  days. 

It  would  appear  reasonably  certain,  in  view  of  the 
manner  in  which  film  undertakings  are  now  financed 
by  hard-headed  business  men,  that  Miss  Gardner  could 
extend  her  productivity  and  attain  heights  impossible 
of  accomplishment  where  "speed"  and  "footage"  arc 
the  basic  foundation  of  film  operations.  In  England 
Miss  Gardner  would  have  no  trouble  to  procure  unlim- 
ited capital.  In  America,  her  two  years'  record  in  the 
face  of  obstacles  should  serve  to  make  her  name  a  sight 
draft  on  the  public  purse.  What  she  needs  now  is  a 
New  York  theatre,  where  her  future  productions  may 
be  properly  launched. 

Possessing  such  a  playhouse  in  the  accepted  theatre 
zone  and  unhampered  by  financial  problems,  the  forth- 
coming productions  emanating  from  the  Tappan  studio 
would  represent  the  real  photoplays,  created,  staged, 
and  portrayed  by  the  best  exponents  of  the  new  art, 
who  established  their  capacity  long  before  it  was 
thought  advisable  to  visualize  plays  originally  written 
and  conceived  with  the  limitations  of  a  four-walled 
playhouse  alone  in  mind. 


206  Cfte    C&eatre 


CHAPTER    X 

There  is  no  more  interesting  phase  of  moving-pic- 
ture progress  than  that  which  has  to  do  with  the 
changes  it  has  wrought  in  the  careers  of  many  stage 
workers,  some  of  whom  entered  the  film  studio  with 
such  reluctancy  that  instances  of  changing  names  to 
conceal  identity  were  common. 

As  a  rule,  however,  those  who  have  become  cele- 
brated in  picturedom  demonstrated  their  qualifications 
for  the  new  art  almost  instanter.  The  period  from  1908 
to  1911 — red-letter  years — witnessed  a  general  stam- 
pede of  the  studios  by  stage  folk  bent  upon  conquest. 
In  those  years  what  were  then  called  the  "Independ- 
ents" attracted  the  idle  actors  to  their  studios  by  the 
tales  that  were  prevalent  on  New  York's  "Rialto"  of 
a  new  Mecca  for  Thespian  talent.  The  three  studios 
most  stampeded  were  the  "Imp,"  in  West  101st  Street; 
"Powers  Picture  Plays,"  in  The  Bronx;  and  Edwin 
Thanhouser's,  in  New  Rochelle. 

Of  these,  "Imp"  has  had  the  distinction  of  creating 
an  abundance  of  stellar  timber  among  its  players,  while 
some  of  the  directors  who  produced  the  first  "Imp" 
photoplays  have  achieved  great  renown,  and  this  is 
not  surprising  when  it  is  stated  that  such  directors  as 
Otis  Turner,  Giles  Warren,  Frederick  Thompson,  and 


of    Science 207 

Herbert  Brenon — the  last  named  began  as  scenario 
editor — had  at  their  disposal  such  now  famous  stars  of 
the  screen  as  Mary  Pickford,  King  Baggot,  Owen 
Moore,  William  Robert  Daly,  William  Shay,  Vivian 
Prescott,  and  Frank  Crane.  The  photoplays  released 
by  the  "Imp"  Company  in  1910-1911  quickly  gave  to 
that  brand  of  film  an  individuality  which  was  the  real 
foundation  of  what  the  Universal  Film  Company  rep- 
resents to-day,  and  yet  those  mainly  responsible  for 
the  success  artistically  were  men  and  women  who 
achieved  nothing  notable  in  the  theatrical  field.  It  is 
true  that  King  Baggot  had  quite  a  vogue  in  stock  or- 
ganizations. In  fact,  it  was  his  popularity  as  leading 
man  with  one  of  Corse  Payton's  Brooklyn  organiza- 
tions that  induced  the  "Imp"  people  to  negotiate  for 
his  services.  Mr.  Baggot  has  been  with  "Imp"  four 
years,  increasing  in  influence  and  popularity  steadily, 
until  at  this  writing  he  is  one  of  the  six  most  idolized 
favorites  of  the  screen.  Mr.  Baggot  is  quite  as  cele- 
brated as  a  director  as  he  is  as  a  photoplayer,  and  he 
writes  many  scenarios  of  the  productions  in  which  he 
appears  and  others  in  which  he  does  not  personally  act. 
On  the  theatrical  Rialto  the  career  of  King  Baggot  is 
discussed  as  being  of  the  Arabian  Nights  order.  As 
usual,  there  is  little  cognizance  taken  of  the  fact  that 
this  man  is  what  he  is  to-day  because  of  the  serious- 
ness with  which  he  invests  his  work,  because  he  is  a 
prodigious  worker,  and  finally  because  he  has  remained 
steadfast  to  the  organization  which  he  joined  as  an 
experiment,  and  as  he  contributed  materially  to  the 
growth  of  that  organization,  his  constancy  and  capac- 
ity have  been  rewarded  so  rapidly  that  his  annual  earn- 
ings now  are  said  to  be  2000  per  cent  greater  than 
four  years  ago. 


208 Cfte   Cfteatte 

King  Baggot's  loyalty  to  Carl  Laemmle — the  Uni- 
versal's  head — has  been  put  to  the  acid  test  repeatedly. 
In  no  other  branch  of  the  amusement  field  may  one 
point  to  similar  constancy.  The  Grand  Opera  stars 
are  never  happier  than  when  an  Oscar  Hammerstein 
comes  forward  to  create  a  competitive  demand  for  their 
services,  and  even  so  generous  and  ingratiating  an  em- 
ployer as  Charles  Frohman  has  seen  his  best  stars — 
most  of  whom  he  made  what  they  are — go  over  to  rival 
managements,  that  their  financial  reward  might  be 
greater;  but  in  filmdom  where  competition  is  keener 
even  than  in  vaudeville,  the  "stars"  seem  to  be  held 
fast  by  the  environment  wherein  they  have  achieved 
their  fame. 

Mary  Fuller,  Marc  MacDermott,  Gertrude  McCoy, 
Robert  Brower,  Harry  Eytinge,  Bigelow  Cooper,  and 
as  many  more  Edison  stars,  have  been  with  that  organ- 
ization practically  throughout  their  film  careers.  It  is 
so  rare  that  an  important  photoplayer  leaves  such  an 
organization  to  join  another  that  such  procedure  at- 
tracts attention.  In  the  Vitagraph  Company  there  are 
not  less  than  thirty  well-known  players  who  have  not 
only  been  with  that  company  several  years,  but  the 
number  that  have  never  appeared  with  any  other  film 
organization  is  still  greater. 

Not  a  few  of  the  photoplayers  have  become  pro- 
ducers on  an  important  scale.  Hobart  Bosworth, 
whom  I  recall  as  a  one-time  member  of  Augustin 
Daly's  Stock  Company,  and  who  was  for  several  years 
a  Selig  star,  is  now  a  producer  of  the  first  magnitude. 
Associating  himself  with  a  group  of  capitalists  toward 
the  end  of  1913,  he  organized  what  is  known  as  "Ho- 
bart Bosworth,  Inc.,"  for  the  purpose  of  visualizing  on 
the  screen  the  remarkable  stories  of  Jack  London. 


PEARL  SINDELAR  LEAH  BAIRD 

Potash  and  Perlmutter  and  Pathe  Freres  (Vitagraph  Co.) 

Names  With  Which  to  Conjure 


MAURICE  COSTELLO  ,     KING  BAG  GOT 

(Vitagraph)  Leading  Man  "Imp  '  Universal  Co. 

Two  Matinee  Idols  of  Filmdom 


o  f    ©  c  i  e  n  c  e  200 

The  first  of  these  film  productions,  entitled  "The  Sea 
Wolf,"  has  involved  prolonged  preparation  and  re- 
search, and  its  presentation  at  the  palatial  Strand  The- 
atre in  New  York  on  May  4th,  1914,  was  hailed  with 
considerable  eclat.  The  Bosworth  company  has  its 
plans  laid  for  years  ahead  for  productions  of  a  similar 
nature,  and  its  success  from  the  outset  has  indicated 
that  any  effort  to  reveal  on  the  screen  the  unusual 
photoplay  in  preference  to  adaptations  of  stage  plays 
that  have  exhausted  their  vogue  in  the  older  field  is  a 
step  in  the  right  direction. 

Florence  Turner,  famous  as  "The  Vitagraph  Girl," 
joined  that  organization  about  seven  years  ago,  when 
its  artistic  roster  included  less  than  a  dozen  players. 
Miss  Turner  was  on  the  stage  almost  from  childhood, 
her  ancestors  being  stage  folk.  Her  long  association 
with  the  Vitagraph  Company  revealed  an  amazing 
grasp  on  her  part  of  the  art  of  camera  acting,  and  to 
this  day  Miss  Turner  has  not  been  approached  as  an 
interpreter  of  characters  without  vocal  expression. 
Adept  as  a  pantomimist  and  impressed  with  the  possi- 
bilities for  her  future  career,  "The  Vitagraph  Girl" 
soon  mastered  the  maze  of  intricate  problems  which 
have  enabled  her  to  become  not  only  a  star  of  the 
screen  but  a  prolific  writer  of  photoplays  and  one  of 
the  few  efficient  directors  of  her  sex  as  well. 

When  Miss  Turner  left  the  Vitagraph  Company  in 
1913,  many  believed  that  such  procedure  on  her  part 
was  ill-advised.  Yet  there  is  no  better  illustrative  ex- 
ample as  to  certain  theories  held  by  film  authorities 
who  insist  that  the  photoplayer  should  not  appear  in 
the  flesh  before  the  moving  picture  public  than  to 
point  to  the  achievements  of  Miss  Turner  during  the 
past  year. 


210 Cfte   Cfteatte 

During  her  stage  career,  Miss  Turner  appeared  in 
the  vaudeville  theatres,  and  though  the  writer  was 
long  intimately  associated  with  that  field,  he  has  no 
recollection  of  any  upheaval  created  by  her  efforts  in 
those  days,  hence  it  is  interesting  to  observe  that  after 
six  years  posing  before  the  camera  in  an  effort  to  con- 
vert her  fame  as  the  Vitagraph  Girl  into  coin  of  the 
realm,  Miss  Turner  was  granted  as  high  as  $500  a 
week  in  this  country  to  appear  in  a  monologue  which 
she  "put  over"  so  successfully  that  return  engagements 
were  not  uncommon. 

English  managers  and  booking  agents  representing 
the  "Halls"  abroad,  saw  her  performance  here,  and 
prodded  her  with  offers,  while  foreign  film  producers 
negotiated  with  the  view  of  evolving  a  Florence  Tur- 
ner brand  of  films  written,  staged,  and  acted  by  her. 
These  offers  finally  decided  Miss  Turner  to  enter  the 
field  on  a  large  scale  as  a  manufacturer  of  films,  and 
to  better  accomplish  her  aims  she  entered  into  a  part- 
nership with  Lawrence  Trimble  (one  of  the  numerous 
" Larry s"  who  direct  photoplays  with  distinction),  un- 
der whose  direction  Miss  Turner  appeared  for  years 
in  Vitagraph  portrayals.  The  two  sailed  for  England, 
where  Miss  Turner  made  her  music  hall  debut  on 
May  26,  1913,  at  the  Pavilion  Theatre  in  Piccadilly 
Circus,  featured  on  a  par  with  Wilkie  Bard  and  Neil 
Kenyon. 

It  is  but  an  amazing  truth  to  state  that  the  now  cele- 
brated film  star  who  seven  years  ago  was  wont  to  do 
her  "turn"  in  vaudeville  for  little  more  than  a  choris- 
ter's  salary,  scored  so  emphatically  in  the  big  London 
hall  that  offers  for  five  years'  practically  consecutive 
booking  to  "top  the  bill"  in  all  instances  were  made. 


of    Science 211 

But  Florence  Turner  was  in  a  position  to  choose, 
and,  having  made  her  plans  to  produce  photoplays, 
the  vaudeville  bookings  were  so  arranged  as  to  fit  in 
with  the  itinerary  of  her  own  company  of  photoplay- 
ers,  organized  by  herself  and  Mr.  Trimble  under  the 
name  of  "Turner  Films,  Limited,"  so  here  we  have  the 
unique  spectacle  of  an  idolized  screen  star  earning  a 
prima  donna's  honorarium  for  stage  appearances  at 
night  only,  while  during  the  day  with  her  photoplay 
colleagues  the  Vitagraph  Girl  is  acting  before  the  cam- 
era in  cities  where  the  scenic  environment  corresponds 
with  the  needs  of  the  scenario. 

And  in  each  of  these  cities  during  the  "leisure" 
hours  the  indefatigable  Vitagraph  Girl  has  had  confabs 
with  the  exhibitors,  film  buyers,  renters,  and  others 
affiliated  with  the  industry  and  the  outcome  from  such 
ingenious  and  intimate  methods  of  operation  has  been 
truly  constructive.  Up  to  this  writing,  the  Turner 
Films,  Limited,  have  released  an  even  dozen  produc- 
tions, all  in  multiple  reels.  Of  these  the  writer  has 
seen  three  only,  but  these  three  have  served  to  only 
emphasize  the  impression  long  held  that  Florence  Tur- 
ner is  perhaps  the  greatest  living  exponent  of  silent 
acting  of  the  kind  which  finds  favor  in  the  photoplay- 
house,  nor  is  there  any  need  for  qualifying  in  accord- 
ing to  her  such  praise,  because  of  the  advent  in  pic- 
turedom  of  some  of  our  stellar  figures  of  the  speaking 
stage. 

While  the  Tess  of  Mrs.  Fiske  as  an  individual  per- 
formance stands  out  as  supreme,  this  famous  actress 
is  not  a  photoplayer,  nor  has  she  been  called  upon  to 
create  any  original  roles  in  the  newer  field.  The  same 
classification  applies  to  Madame  Bernhardt,  who  had 
merely  figured  in  picturized  productions  of  four  of  her 


212 C6e   Cfteatre 

stage  creations,  in  none  of  which  did  the  greatest  liv- 
ing actress  reveal  a  complete  grasp  of  the  technic  of 
the  newer  art.  Madame  has  not  hesitated  to  proclaim 
that  such  art  as  she  has  been  permitted  to  reveal  on 
the  screen  could  not  by  any  stretch  of  the  imagination 
be  regarded  as  on  a  par  with  that  which  gave  her 
worldwide  renown. 

Lawrence  Trimble,  who  is  now  Miss  Turner's  busi- 
ness associate  and  co-producer,  is  a  unique  figure  in 
the  film  world,  in  that  he  not  only  had  no  association 
with  the  speaking  stage,  but  the  purpose  for  which  he 
entered  the  film  studio  has  never  been  accomplished. 
That  Mr.  Trimble  is  to-day  celebrated  as  a  producer 
and  author  is  due  to  one  of  those  strange  developments 
for  which  the  history  of  moving  pictures  is  noted. 

Born  in  New  England,  Trimble  revealed  ability  as  a 
writer  at  an  early  age,  and  he  sold  stories  to  the  maga- 
zines and  newspapers,  earning  in  this  way  a  fair  in- 
come, which,  however,  was  not  sufficient  to  induce  ex- 
traordinary effort.  He  knew  how  to  coax  the  pot 
boiler,  and  his  "copy"  was  invariably  accepted  by  the 
first  recipient,  but  the  checks  were  more  often  than 
not  written  in  a  single  figure,  a  fact  that  convinced 
Trimble  that  he  lacked  most  of  all  a  big  subject  with 
which  to  specialize.  With  this  idea  in  mind,  one  day 
Trimble  was  impressed  with  the  notion  that  he  could 
greatly  increase  his  income  through  evolving  interest- 
ing stories  about  the  motion-picture  industry  from  va- 
rious angles,  and  as  he  lived  in  the  City  of  Churches, 
he  sallied  forth  to  the  Vitagraph  Studio,  little  dream- 
ing that  instead  of  writing  about  photoplays,  he  was 
destined  to  become  a  potent  subject  for  others  writers 
to  criticize  or  eulogize,  usually  the  latter. 

Trimble   has   never  had   the   chance   to   write   the 


MRS.  FISKE 
Who  as  "Tess"  presented  a  portrayal  that  has  made  her  famous  as  a  silent  actress 


of    Science 213 

stories  he  went  to  the  Vitagraph  Studio  to  prepare  be- 
cause he  quickly  demonstrated  an  ability  of  that  kind 
which  Commodore  Blackton  and  his  associates  are 
always  on  the  alert  for,  so  Trimble  wrote  the  scenarios 
of  many  photoplays.  It  was  here  that  he  met  Florence 
Turner  in  1910,  and  through  his  ability  as  an  author 
and  producer,  he  became  a  vital  part  of  the  big  studio. 
In  less  than  three  years,  the  struggling  magazine 
writer  reached  the  highest  position  attainable  in  that 
studio. 

Where  Trimble's  achievement  is  unique  lies  in  the 
fact  that  while  there  are  many  players  who  have  be- 
come famous  in  picturedom  without  the  least  stage 
experience,  also  many  authors,  practically  all  of  the 
directors,  had  vast  experience  in  the  older  field,  yet 
Trimble  was  never  associated  with  the  theatre  in  any 
capacity.  Truly  there  is  that  something  about  the 
Motion  Picture  art  which  develops  the  genius  one 
possesses  instanter. 

Alice  Blache  has  the  reputation  of  being  the  first 
woman  to  produce  photoplays  in  her  own  studio,  being 
the  head  of  the  Solax  Film  Company,  one  of  the  first 
of  the  group  of  independent  film  companies,  and  one 
of  the  very  first  to  produce  features  in  multiple  reels. 
To  this  day  the  Solax  production  of  "Fra  Diavolo"  has 
not  been  surpassed  despite  that  the  public  response 
was  such  as  to  induce  many  similar  efforts.  Madame 
Blache  has  contributed  a  number  of  articles  to  maga- 
zines, the  subject  being  the  film  producer's  obligation 
to  the  public — these  have  always  been  extremely  frank 
and  have  attracted  wide  comment  in  the  industry. 

In  that  group  of  Independent  film  producers  inaugu- 
rating their  activities  between  1908  and  1911,  the  out- 
put of  the  Rex  Company  was  surely  the  most  artistic. 


214 Cf)e   C&eatte 

It  was  in  the  releases  of  this  brand  of  films  that  the 
sterling  art  of  Edwin  S.  Porter  was  acknowledged, 
though  this  early  pioneer  in  the  industry  had  disting- 
uished himself  long  before  the  days  of  Rex.  It  was 
Porter  who  was  responsible  for  the  high  grade  conduct 
of  the  Eden  Musee  in  the  late  90's  when  the  cinemato- 
graph was  established  as  a  permanent  feature  there. 
Associated  with  Mr.  Porter  in  those  days  was  Francis 
B.  Cannock,  and  the  superior  projection  of  films  at  the 
Eden  Musee  attracted  the  attention  of  any  number  of 
artists  and  stage  stars  bent  upon  utilizing  the  genius 
of  such  men  to  evolve  a  greater  field  for  their  own 
efforts. 

About  this  time,  the  late  Henry  Lee  was  appearing 
at  the  Eden  Musee  and  to  the  writer  he  never  tired 
of  eulogizing  the  work  of  Porter  and  Cannock.  The 
latter  I  often  met  in  Lee's  apartment  at  Reisenweber's. 
Lee  finally  engaged  him  to  assume  complete  charge  of 
the  pictorial  side  of  what  was  unquestionably  a  re- 
markable production,  far  ahead  of  the  times.  Lee 
was  an  artist  to  his  finger  tips,  but  of  business  he 
knew  absolutely  nothing,  and  before  I  could  exert  my 
influence  to  check  his  wild  enthusiasm,  he  became 
hopelessly  involved  financially.  These  were  not  the 
days  of  confidence  in  moving  picture  undertakings,  and 
I  advised  Lee  to  preserve  his  vaudeville  status  and 
not  sacrifice  the  $500  a  week  that  was  his  for  the  ask- 
ing to  finance  a  project  wholly  uncertain  as  to  the  out- 
come. 

But  Lee,  the  dreamer,  was  not  to  be  influenced. 
Cannock  was  at  this  time  considered  the  best  operator 
in  the  entire  field.  His  contract  with  Lee  called  for 
a  salary  in  excess  of  $100  a  week  and  he  was  worth 
every  penny  of  it,  but  despite  the  most  ambitious  en- 


t)  t    Science 215 

tourage  in  the  history  of  moving  pictures,  the  financial 
fiasco,  was,  indeed,  colossal.  George  Kleine  was  in- 
terested to  some  extent,  and  before  Lee  finally  col- 
lapsed, hypothecating  his  entire  plant,  so  that  he  could 
not  even  resort  to  his  old  vaudeville  act  to  keep  the 
wolf  from  the  door,  he  had  so  many  partners  that  the 
item  of  transportation  alone  exceeded  the  box  office 
receipts. 

At  Lee's  urgent  request,  I  journeyed  to  Chicago  to 
witness  the  production  which  was  really  a  moving  pic- 
ture version  of  his  "Great  Men  Past  and  Present." 
The  spectacle  of  an  audience  of  about  300  persons  in 
the  vast  Chicago  auditorium  seating  6,000  was  alone 
uninspiring  enough  to  cast  a  gloom  on  what  was  to 
my  view,  an  epochal  presentation  in  which  Mr.  Can- 
nock  revealed  himself  as  a  camera  wizard  to  such  an 
extent  that  Lee  was  wont  to  insist  that  the  operator 
acknowledge  the  applause  at  least  equally  with  him- 
self. Cannock  is  now  one  of  the  heads  of  the  Sim- 
plex Company  in  which  he  is  still  affiliated  with  Hol- 
laman  and  Porter,  of  the  Eden  Musee  days. 

Of  the  stars  of  the  speaking  stage  to  find  a  perma- 
nent vogue  in  the  moving  picture  field,  Maude  Fealy 
of  the  Thanhouser  Company  is  a  striking  example.  In 
fact,  it  is  doubtful  if  to  this  day  there  has  been  re- 
corded an  accession  to  the  photoplayers'  ranks  of  great- 
er artistic  significance.  Moreover,  Miss  Fealy's  film 
career  is  interesting  from  various  angles  in  that  she 
was  the  only  American  actress  honored  by  the  late  Sir 
Henry  Irving  whose  leading  lady  she  was  for  a  long 
period.  Also  as  Miss  Fealy  is  often  referred  to  as  "a 
child  of  the  stage"  and  began  to  "star"  before  she  was 
sixteen,  there  was  considerable  curiosity  as  to  what 


216 Cfte    Cfteatre 

measure  of  popularity  would  be  meted  out  to  her  in 
the  new  field. 

But  it  is  hardly  believable  that  there  could  have 
been  any  skepticism,  for  Maude  Fealy  entered  the 
Thanhouser  studio  so  well  equipped — particularly  for 
that  company's  productivity — that  it  is  not  surprising 
that  she  has  been  accorded  the  rare  distinction  of  being 
heavily  featured,  the  productions  in  which  she  appears 
assuming  an  individuality  and  an  importance  best  com- 
prehended if  one  were  permitted  to  observe  the  de- 
mand for  such  releases.  In  fact,  Maude  Fealy  has 
always  had  a  tremendous  public  following  and  on  the 
screen  her  vogue  with  the  people  has  been  greatly  en- 
hanced. 

Lorimer  Johnston's  retirement  from  the  directing 
staff  of  the  American  Film  Company  is  greatly  to  be 
regretted  if  for  no  other  reason  than  the  natural 
changes  which  his  departure  must  influence,  for  no 
one  can  doubt  that  his  incumbency  in  this  organization 
has  been  wholly  constructive  if  not  revolutionary  in 
its  effect.  Before  he  became  responsible  for  the  Amer- 
ican's artistic  output,  the  productions  were  entirely  un- 
worthy of  the  splendid  group  of  photoplayers,  famous 
for  their  "team  work."  As  recently  as  two  years  ago 
such  a  quartet  of  able  players  as  Kerrigan,  Richardson, 
Periolat  and  Miss  Lester  were  utilized  solely  for  plays 
dealing  with  the  Wild  West,  and  while  these  pro- 
ductions were  the  best  of  their  kkid,  Mr.  Hutchinson, 
who  has  been  the  company's  leading  spirit,  was  con- 
vinced that  the  time  had  come  to  attain  greater  heights 
and  along  far  more  artistic  lines. 

Mr.  Johnston  is  one  of  those  now-famous  directors 
who  actually  prepared  themselves  for  conquest  in  film- 
dom.  I  recall  that  in  his  vaudeville  career,  Johnston 


t>  f    Science 217 

was  privileged  to  visit  the  European  centres.  It  was 
in  such  of  these  as  Paris,  Turin  and  Copenhagen  that 
he  first  discovered  the  possibilities  for  himself  in  the 
new  art,  and  he  studied  the  subject  matter  on  the 
screen — visited  the  studios  and  finally  disposed  of  his 
vaudeville  holdings  and  came  to  America,  where  he 
quickly  was  engaged  by  the  Selig  Company,  but  it 
was  with  the  American  Company  that  he  achieved 
renown.  In  one  year  Johnston  produced  75,000  feet 
of  film,  himself  preparing  the  scenarios  for  one-third 
of  the  total.  In  a  talk  with  the  writer,  Johnston  ex- 
pressed himself  thusly: 

"Not  all  of  my  productions  were  good — how  could 
they  be?  The  one  desire  of  the  manufacturer  is  Speed 
speed, — footage,  footage.  This  does  not  make  for 
great  pictures." 

But  when  I  recall  such  productions  as  "The  Cricket 
on  the  Hearth,"  "Destiny  Fulfilled,"  "The  Adventures 
of  Jacques"  and  "The  Rose  of  the  Traumerei,"  I  feel 
certain  that  Johnston,  who  is  now  the  manager  and 
director  of  the  Santa  Barbara  Company,  is  due  to 
vastly  extend  his  influence.  No  one  who  saw  his  re- 
production of  Leonardo  di  Vinci's  painting,  "The  Last 
Supper,"  will  question  his  artistic  capacity. 

It  is  only  fair  to  Mr.  Hutchinson,  the  American's 
progressive  president,  to  state  that  there  has  been  no 
perceptible  indication  of  retrogression  since  the  de- 
parture of  Mr.  Johnston.  Sydney  Ayres,  who  suc- 
ceeded Warren  Kerrigan  in  the  "leads"  in  this  com- 
pany, has  now  succeeded  Johnston  as  chief  director, 
though  he  will  not  absolutely  retire  from  screen  act- 
ing, and  as  Mr.  Ayres  is  of  that  type  so  ably  repre- 
sented by  Messrs.  Kerrigan  and  Blackwell,  both  of 
whom  developed  equal  ability  as  directors,  there  is 


218 C&e   Cijeatrr 

every  reason  to  believe  that  the  American's  future  ar- 
tistic status  is  safe  in  Mr.  Ayres'  hands. 

The  Santa  Barbara  Film  Company  is  the  new  or- 
ganization of  which  Lorimer  Johnston  is  the  general 
manager,  and  its  advent  as  a  potential  factor  in  the  in- 
dustry has  been  heralded  by  no  little  display  of  elabo- 
rately prepared  literature,  the  substance  of  which  is 
an  apparent  aspiration  to  aim  higher  artistically  than 
any  of  its  established  competitors.  The  engagement 
of  Mr.  Johnston  was  not  affected  until  long  after  the 
company's  prospectus  was  issued,  hence  one  may  only 
conjecture  at  this  writing  as  to  the  style  and  calibre 
of  the  productions,  but  in  view  of  the  known  facts 
and  a  knowledge  of  what  Johnston's  ambitions  are,  it 
is  a  safe  venture  to  predict  that  the  new  brand  of 
films  will  be  of  that  character  to  be  expected  from  a 
heavily  capitalized  organization  conceived  in  the  year 
1914 — a  year  that  will  go  down  in  film  history  as  the 
one  in  which  the  production  of  photoplays  reached  the 
highest  attainable  quality. 

Frederick  Thompson,  though  regarded  as  one  of 
the  most  able  directors  in  the  motion  picture  field,  has 
been  less  than  four  years  in  his  present  occupation. 
Yet  in  that  time  he  has  participated  in  productions  so 
widely  different  from  those  he  evolved  during  his 
twenty  years'  stage  activities,  that  the  writer  was  in- 
terested to  learn  at  first  hand  which  of  the  two  modes 
of  production  the  director  preferred.  I  quote  Mr. 
Thompson  verbatim:  "Wholly  apart  from  the  finan- 
cial inducements  which,  of  course,  are  larger  in  the 
newer  field,  I  hope  I  never  have  to  return  to  the  foot- 
lights again.  There  is  not  nearly  the  opportunity  for 
artistic  individual  work,  and  I  want  to  remain  for  all 
time  where  I  can  avail  myself  of  nature's  own  vast 


o  f    8  c  i  e  n  c  e  219 

resources  instead  of  relying  on  such  illusions  as  are 
possible  on  a  playhouse  stage.  My  last  stage  produc- 
tion was  'The  Goddess  of  Reason*  for  Julia  Marlowe, 
and  as  I  also  was  Richard  Mansfield's  last  stage  di- 
rector, my  preference  for  the  film  studio  is  not  due  to 
lack  of  opportunity  in  the  older  field,  but  I  want  to 
continue  to  direct  under  God's  blue  sky  in  the  hope 
that  the  day  is  near  when  this  new  art  will  provide 
incentive  for  the  world's  greatest  literary  minds  to  co- 
operate with  the  high  aims  of  those  who,  like  myself, 
deplore  the  probably  unavoidable  present-day  tendency 
to  adapt  to  the  screen  plays  that  have  had  their  day. 
I  want  to  live  to  direct  a  photoplay  that  will  repre- 
sent the  entire  scope  of  a  highly  developed  film  or- 
ganization with  every  scene  posed  for  in  the  locale 
conceived  by  the  author,  who  has  embraced  his  task 
with  a  complete  grasp  on  the  scope  and  equipment 
of  a  modern  film  producing  organization." 

Mr.  Thompson  was  one  of  the  first  of  the  directors 
engaged  by  the  "Imp"  brand  of  films.  Julius  Stern, 
who  was  the  general  manager  of  that  organization 
in  the  days  when  its  productions  were  widely  copied, 
must  feel  a  certain  sense  of  pride  as  he  observes  the 
advancement  of  almost  the  entire  original  roster.  Mr. 
Stern  is  still  acting  in  the  same  capacity  at  the  big 
studio  at  Forty-third  Street  and  Eleventh  Avenue, 
where  not  a  few  of  the  original  "Imp"  players  and 
directors  are  still  firmly  intrenched. 

Frederick  Thompson's  association  with  the  Vita- 
graph  organization  will  have  ended  before  this  volume 
is  issued,  he  joining  the  Famous  Players'  Film  Com- 
pany under  the  direction  of  his  old  manager,  Daniel 
Frohman.  The  latter  has  assembled  for  the  season 
of  1914-15  a  remarkable  group  of  directors,  for,  be- 


220 Cfte   Cfreaue 

sides  Mr.  Thompson,  the  list  includes  Hugh  Ford, 
Frederick  Stanhope,  Edward  Morange,  F.  Searle  Daw- 
ley,  Francis  Powers  and  that  wizard  of  picturedom, 
Edwin  S.  Porter,  who  has  been  the  technical  director 
of  the  Zukor-Frohman  organization  ever  since  its  in- 
ception. 


"I  am  not  worrying  about  the  spoken  drama.  The 
'pictures'  are  doing  the  stage  a  lot  of  good,  and  when 
things  get  settled  a  little  I  am  going  to  produce  for 
the  stage  again." 

These  are  significant  words  uttered  by  Daniel  Froh- 
man  in  the  spring  of  1914,  yet  the  readers  of  the  prev- 
ious volumes  are  aware  of  the  fact  that  the  author 
has  persistently  expressed  a  similar  viewpoint.  Mr. 
Frohman,  however,  has  had  the  opportunity  to  ob- 
serve the  trend  from  an  angle  that  best  reveals  the  in- 
fluence of  the  photoplay  to  attract  new  playgoers  into 
the  higher-priced  theatres.  As  the  general  manager 
of  the  Famous  Players'  Film  Company,  he  has  intro- 
duced into  the  newer  field  such  celebrities  as  Sarah 
Bernhardt,  James  K.  Hackett,  James  O'Neill,  Henry 
E.  Dixey,  Bertha  Kalich,  and  Mrs.  Fiske,  who  have 
since  found  their  public  enlarged  when  appearing  in 
person  on  the  regular  stage. 

We  have  the  photoplay  to  thank  for  the  solution  of 
what  many  believe  has  been  the  most  difficult  problem 
confronting  the  play  producer,  for  it  has  gradually 
brought  about  an  adjustment  of  the  "too-many-the- 
atres" situation  and  with  the  building  of  new  play- 
houses, checked  for  the  time  being  and  the  conversion 
of  a  fair  proportion  of  existing  theatres  into  photoplay 
houses,  the  time  is  near  when  the  producers  in  both 


of    Science  221 

fields  will  vie  with  each  other  for  supremacy.  Also, 
as  the  scale  of  admission  price  becomes  gradually  quite 
similar  for  both,  the  managerial  effort  to  entice  the 
millions  of  low-priced  amusement  seekers  into  the- 
atres where  celebrities  now  popular  on  stage  and 
screen  alike  hold  forth,  if  crowned  with  success,  is 
certain  to  induce  many  now  inactive  producers  to  emu- 
late Mr.  Frohman's  expressed  intention  of  resuming 
stage  productivity. 

It  would  seem,  however,  that  a  little  discernment 
in  the  scale  of  prices  according  to  the  size  of  the  audi- 
torium, would  greatly  help  to  realize  the  aims  of  men 
who  appear  to  wholly  ignore  that  the  basic  founda- 
tion of  moving  picture  prosperity  has  been  the  low 
prices  which  enabled  the  poorer  classes  to  become  per- 
sistent patrons,  which  attracted  millions  who  never 
had  attended  a  regular  theatre,  but  who  now,  with 
their  families,  flock  to  the  neighborhood  theatres — 
as  often  as  three  times  a  week.  Slowly  but  surely,  this 
tremendous  public  is  forced  even  in  the  photoplay 
houses  to  increase  its  expenditure  for  entertainment, 
and  as  the  standard  of  productions  on  the  screen  was 
raised,  the  desire  for  the  multiple-reel  feature  was  so 
clearly  and  generally  expressed,  that  now  aside  from 
the  still  existing  nickel  houses,  the  demand  for  a  full 
evening's  entertainment  in  one-film  productions  has 
induced  practically  every  important  play  producer  to 
enter  the  film  industry  on  a  large  scale. 

And  as  the  majority  of  these  producers  in  the  older 
field  are  now  affiliated  with  the  established  film  manu- 
facturers, such  of  these  as  Charles  Frohman,  Henry 
W.  Savage,  David  Belasco  and  Klaw  and  Erlanger, 
who  still  have  extensive  interests  in  the  theatrical  field, 
are  certain  to  obtain  a  firmer  grasp  on  the  public  pulse 


222 Cfte   CSeatre 

when  they  are  enabled  to  observe  the  comparative  re- 
sponse of  this  public  as  between  the  two  modes  of  en- 
tertainment. Whether  or  not  this  viewpoint  will 
impress  these  gentlemen  with  the  necessity  for  price 
bargains  to  tempt  the  new  public  to  patronize  their 
stage  offerings,  one  may  not  doubt  that  the  season 
of  1914-15  will  witness  a  healthier  condition  in  the 
amusement  field  generally  than  has  existed  for  many 
years.  With  the  Messrs.  Shubert  establishing  a  migh- 
ty film  company  with  extensive  affiliations  and  with 
several  of  the  largest  playhouses  of  vast  seating  ca- 
pacity as  the  Manhattan  Opera  House,  the  Strand  and 
the  New  York  theatres  and  possibly  Oscar  Hammer- 
stein's  new  opera  house,  permanently  relegated  to  fea- 
ture films,  and  with  the  Shuberts  presenting  photo- 
plays in  many  of  their  theatres,  the  tendency 
is  to  greatly  reduce  the  number  of  two-dollar-a-seat 
playhouses  in  all  the  large  cities,  and  as  these  latter 
will  more  than  ever  before  be  confined  to  bijou  audi- 
toriums, with  seating  capacity  from  200  to  1,200,  the 
spectacle  of  crowded  houses  so  rarely  on  view  of  late, 
should  once  more  stimulate  the  producers,  of  whom 
there  are  fewer  at  this  writing  than  at  any  period  since 
those  days  when  the  field  of  the  theatre  was  regarded 
as  too  precarious  to  induce  investments. 

But  while  the  trend  toward  "little"  theatres  will  help 
to  solve  managerial  problems  in  the  high-priced  field, 
the  wonder  is  that  some  genius  with  a  grasp  on  pro- 
portions does  not  tempt  fate  with  an  effort  to  com- 
pete with  the  vogue  of  the  photoplay  in  the  larger 
auditoriums.  Who  shall  say  that  if  photoplays  can 
prosper  in  the  most  expensively  conducted  playhouses 
of  large  size  at  prices  one-half  as  high  as  those  pre- 
vailing in  the  best  legitimate  houses,  that  performances 


tif    Science 223 

equally  as  good  as  those  presented  in  the  two-dollar 
houses  will  not  attract  the  multitudes  to  the  big  audi- 
toriums if  the  prices  are  cut  in  half? 

Here  we  have  a  phase  of  the  theatrical  situation 
which  may  ultimately  inaugurate  that  new  era  of  stage 
prosperity  so  aptly  indicated  by  Daniel  Frohman's  ex- 
pression at  the  outset  of  this  chapter.  On  the  other 
hand,  there  are  those  who  believe  that  a  movement  of 
this  character  may  first  be  launched  by  the  powerful 
group  of  film  men  who  are  not  affiliated  with  the  the- 
atrical interests  and  who  resent  the  wholesale  advent 
of  the  latter  into  their  realm. 

While  the  effort  of  G.  M.  Anderson  to  establish  a 
popular-priced  playhouse  in  San  Francisco  has  been 
less  successful  than  the  earlier  records  indicated,  the 
decline  in  the  public  response  has  been  due  to  a  series 
of  complicated  internal  dissensions  among  his  asso- 
ciates. These  have  been  conducive  to  interrupt  Mr. 
Anderson's  prosperity  in  the  field  he  sought  to  accom- 
plish revolutionary  results.  But  to  those  familiar  with 
the  facts,  the  troublous  outcome  up  to  this  writing  is 
attributed  not  to  any  mistakes  of  the  intrepid  Mr.  An- 
derson, but  solely  to  the  manner  in  which  his  repre- 
sentative involved  him  in  uncontrollable  difficulties, 
until  Anderson  had  a  "headache"  and  flew  to  the  Es- 
sanay  studio  at  Niles  for  that  diversion  he  best  can 
cope  with. 

But  the  basic  idea  behind  the  Gayety  Theatre  prop- 
osition revealed  "Broncho  Billy"  as  a  showman  in  the 
true  sense  of  the  term,  and  it  may  not  be  long  before 
such  as  he  will  invest  their  capital  made  in  the  film 
world  as  a  sort  of  reprisal  against  the  wholesale  ad- 
vent of  theatrical  producers  in  the  gold-laden  field 
they  not  so  long  ago  were  wont  to  belittle. 


224 Cfte   C&eatte 

In  an  interview  with  Colgate  Baker  in  the  "Sunday 
American,"  William  A.  Brady  gave  expression  to  his 
theories  as  to  the  future  of  the  photoplay,  and  as  Mr. 
Brady  invariably  says  just  what  he  believes,  his  views 
are  always  of  public  interest  and  usually  are  widely 
quoted  by  writers  here  and  abroad. 

"I  am  not  against  moving  pictures,"  says  Mr. 
Brady.  "The  one  significant  fact  that  will  stand  out 
in  the  records  of  this  theatrical  season  is  the  progress 
that  moving  pictures  have  made.  We  have  seen  the 
last  of  the  amateur  scenario  writer,  and  the  profes- 
sional photoplaywright  has  arrived.  The  entire  busi- 
ness has  been  given  new  dignity  by  reason  of  the  fact 
that  all  of  our  leading  theatrical  producers  have  em- 
barked in  it." 

"Moving  pictures,"  Brady  continues,  "are  bound  to 
change  the  quality  of  our  audiences  in  the  first-class 
theatres.  The  'movies'  are  the  real  melting  pot.  Jews, 
Italians,  Russians,  Poles  and  other  foreigners,  who 
never  went  to  any  theatres  but  their  own  on  the  East 
Side,  are  patronizing  the  picture  houses  and  getting 
acquainted  with  American  drama.  This  vast  foreign 
population  will  eventually  become  patrons  of  the  best 
theatres.  This  is  a  mighty  big  thing." 

It  is  just  that,  the  writer  believes,  and  in  previ- 
ous volumes  he  has  endeavored  to  impress  the  skep- 
tical producers  of  the  older  field  with  the  gold-laden 
opportunity  they  were  ignoring.  Even  now,  with  prac- 
tically all  of  the  most  prolific  producers  intrenched  in 
filmdom,  there  are  few  "Billy"  Bradys  who  grasp  the 
significance  of  a  new  public  of  playgoers  multiplied 
gradually  through  a  natural  desire  to  see  the  so-called 
"real  thing." 

Mr.  Brady  views  the  vogue  of  photoplays  much  as 


MAUD  FEALY 

Thanhouser  Leading  Woman 


LAURA  SAWYER 

Photoplay  Star 


DANIEL   FROHMAN   IN   CONSULTATION  WITH   DIRECTOR   DAWLEY 
AND  BERTHA  KALICH  OF  FAMOUS  PLAYERS  CO. 


of    Defence  225 

Daniel  Frohman  does,  and  their  views  as  to  the  benefit 
of  the  new  mode  of  public  entertainment  to  the  old 
will  become  more  pronounced  as  the  screen  begins  to 
reveal  the  maze  of  play  productivity  of  other  days,  and 
with  more  than  half  of  the  nation's  favorite  players 
facing  the  cameras,  instead  of  audiences  as  of  yore. 
In  truth,  the  year  1914  should  go  down  in  history  as 
that  of  an  epoch  when  as  a  result  of  "The  Theatrical 
Movement,"  the  stage  and  its  people  have,  indeed, 
come  into  their  own. 

Not  since  the  late  B.  F.  Keith  inaugurated  what 
was  called  the  "legit."  invasion  has  the  field  of  the 
theatre  been  provided  with  so  helpful  an  outlet  for 
plays  and  players  in  a  new  field.  This  is  so  true  that 
the  day  may  be  near  when  vaudeville's  acknowledged 
reputation  for  having  created  more  home  owners  and 
colonies  of  prosperous  stage  folk  than  all  other 
branches  of  the  amusement  field  combined,  will  no 
longer  represent  existing  conditions.  There  are  hun- 
dreds of  photoplayers,  directors,  authors  and  kindred 
affiliatives  of  a  tremendous  industry  who  have  pur- 
chased homes  and  estates  in  the  last  five  years.  The 
film  industry  has  created  a  greater  domesticity  for  the 
actor  in  the  second  decade  of  the  20th  century  than 
the  theatre  along  other  lines  has  known  since  its  incep- 
tion. 

But  Mr.  Brady,  while  wholly  correct  in  his  theories 
as  to  the  outlook  for  the  speaking  stage,  has  not  indi- 
cated the  possibility  that  the  vogue  of  photoplays  will 
continue  to  increase  despite  the  fact  that  it  is  con- 
stantly enlarging  the  public  following  for  the  type  of 
entertainment  of  which  he  is  so  successful  a  producer. 
On  the  contrary,  Mr.  Brady  is  inclined  to  predict  a 
decline  in  public  interest  in  the  visualized  plays,  ig- 


226 Cfie   Cfteatre 

noring,  too,  the  fact  that  in  filmdom  there  are  not  a 
few  "Billy"  Bradys.  Men  who  while  becoming  weal- 
thy and  potent  have  aspired  to  immeasurably  raise 
the  artistic  level  of  their  output  and  who  are  likely 
to  continue  in  this  effort  long  after  "the  theatrical 
movement"  (started  in  self-defense  by  producers  who, 
as  recently  as  two  years  ago,  regarded  the  motion 
picture  industry  as  beneath  their  notice),  has  ceased 
to  provide  compelling  attractions. 

Many  of  the  first-grade  play  producers,  however, 
were  not  enticed  to  enter  the  film  field  until  assured 
of  the  co-operation  of  the  once-despised  "movie"  mag- 
nate. Charles  Frohman  was  perhaps  the  most  reluc- 
tant of  all  to  convert  a  veritable  mine  of  no  longer 
productive  plays  into  photoplays  which  all  the  world 
will  now  be  able  to  see  on  the  screen  simultaneously. 
Brother  Daniel  does  not  hesitate  to  confirm  the  re- 
port that  "the  Napoleon  of  theatredom"  made  fun  of 
him.  But  Adolph  Zukor  foresaw  the  eventual  capitu- 
lation of  Brother  Charles  when  he,  less  than  two  years 
ago,  conceived  the  idea  of  the  Famous  Players*  Film 
Company.  Zukor,  like  his  now-famous  colleague,  Mar- 
cus Loew,  aspired  to  create  a  titanic  institution.  Up 
to  two  years  ago,  in  association  with  Loew,  he  was 
content  to  pile  up  a  fortune  created  from  nickels  and 
dimes  in  theatres  constructed  from  empty  stores. 
When  these  two  20th  century  showmen  began  to  con- 
vert a  dozen  or  more  New  York  City  playhouses  into 
big  dividend-paying  enterprises,  Zukor,  now  wealthy 
but  yet  practically  unknown  to  fame,  sought  to  iden- 
tify with  his  project  some  one  whose  name  would 
alone  reveal  what  the  Famous  Players*  Film  Com- 
pany really  stood  for,  and  Zukor  chose  well — for  Dan- 
iel Frohman's  influence  has  been  uplifting — tremen- 


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of    Science 227 

dously  so.  It  was  his  success  as  a  film  producer  that 
induced  the  theatrical  movement  now  in  progress. 

Has  Mr.  Brady  reckoned  with  the  future  influence 
of  men  like  Zukor,  who  may  already  be  preparing 
for  the  day  when  even  the  photoplay  will  be  regarded 
as  a  misnomer  for  screen  productions?  Surely  such 
men  already  building  their  own  playhouses  are  not 
going  to  stand  still  while  the  older  type  of  showmen 
are  becoming  enriched  through  the  new  public  created 
by  moving  pictures.  Mr.  Zukor,  through  his  affilia- 
tion with  Marcus  Loew,  is  in  a  position  at  any  time 
to  avail  himself  of  more  than  two  hundred  playhouses 
owned  or  controlled  by  Loew,  Zukor,  and  their  asso- 
ciates, not  one  of  whom  was  known  in  theatredom 
eight  years  ago,  but  who  in  those  eight  years  have 
created  the  most  lucrative  amusement  institution  the 
world  has  ever  known. 

And  Mr.  Loew  already  has  shown  that  he  can  enter 
the  broader  fields  of  the  theatre  with  profit.  In  amuse- 
ment circles  one  may  hear  discussed  to  this  day  the 
manner  in  which  Loew  revived  an  old  Weber  and 
Fields*  production — probably  the  least  successful  the 
comedians  ever  evolved — and  changing  the  title  to 
"Hanky  Panky,"  and  engaging  a  group  of  vaudeville 
favorites  who  were  his  intimate  friends,  brought  about 
a  colossal  triumph — financial  and  artistic — which  has 
by  no  means  exhausted  its  money-making  usefulness. 
To  what  extent  these  modern  showmen  are  interested 
in  Broadway  stage  productivity  is  not  made  public  for 
obvious  reasons,  but  it  is  a  remarkable  fact  that 
Messrs.  Loew  and  Zukor  are  rarely  seen  in  the  com- 
pany of  those  with  whom  they  are  associated.  On 
the  other  hand,  both  gentlemen  number  among  their 
intimates  the  stars  and  producers  of  the  playhouse 


228  C6e   Cfieatte 

zone.  Mr.  Brady  knows  well  the  mold  of  the  Loew- 
Zukor  type  of  showmen,  for  they  represent  much  the 
same  sort  of  mental  make-up  and  unparalleled  energy 
and  persistency  that  has  characterized  Brady's  amaz- 
ing march  to  the  front.  Like  Brady,  too,  they  hail 
from  the  East  Side.  Unless  I  am  mistaken,  all  three 
were  associated  together  in  that  period  of  film  de- 
velopment when  the  nickelodeon  was  in  its  zenith. 

Brady,  in  those  days,  had  a  grip  on  the  picture 
game — but  he  did  not  "stick,"  which  is  a  pity,  for, 
judging  from  what  the  daring  showman  achieved  in 
the  precarious  theatrical  field  since  then,  he  might 
have  become  in  the  Rockefeller  class  had  he  contin- 
ued in  filmdom.  But  Loew  and  Zukor  and  their  kind 
did  "stick"  and  their  influence  in  the  amusement  field 
is  not  likely  to  be  lessened.  That  these  gentlemen 
have  faith  in  the  future  of  moving  pictures  may  be  in- 
dicated by  the  fact  that  both  in  1914  vastly  extended 
their  operations  in  that  field,  investing  millions  of 
dollars  in  new  theatres,  new  film  studios  and  in  pur- 
chasing film  control  of  the  plays  owned  by  theatrical 
producers. 

If,  as  Mr.  Brady  suggests,  a  retrograde  movement 
will  reverse  existing  conditions  for  the  film  men, 
there  is  not  an  inkling  of  such  a  catastrophe  to  be  ob- 
served from  the  present-day  plans  of  those  who  would 
seem  best  qualified  to  meet  such  a  condition. 

And  how  about  Blackton?  Here  we  have  the 
"Billy"  Brady,  the  Charles  Frohman  and  the  Arthur 
Voetglin,  of  filmdom  combined,  and  there  is  nothing 
in  the  Commodore's  business  procedure  to  suggest 
that  he  or  his  associates  are  impressed  with  the  ad- 
visability of  any  overwhelming  stage  productivity 
adapted  to  the  screen.  In  truth,  save  for  the  Vita- 


INTERIOR  VIEW  AVENUE  B  THEATRE 

A  playhouse  devoted  to  feature  films  on  the  site  where  its  builder,  Marcus  Loew,  was  born 


of    Science 229 

graph-Liebler  film  productions  of  Hall  Caine's  plays, 
the  big  Brooklyn  concern  has  practically  been  im- 
mune from  the  "Theatrical  Movement/*  yet  who  shall 
say  that  the  Vitagraph  has  not  held  more  than  its 
own  in  its  offerings  to  the  public?  Blackton  and  his 
artistic  associate,  Albert  Smith,  have  no  financial  prob- 
lems to  solve.  Both  are  impregnably  intrenched  in 
what  is  called  the  material  side  of  their  enterprise 
through  a  system  of  film  distribution  that  would  stag- 
ger the  average  showman  were  he  permitted  to  com- 
prehend the  statistics  of  a  Vitagraph  fiscal  year. 

And  what  of  the  man  Laemmle?  The  teutonic  in- 
dividual who  presides  over  the  destiny  of  the  Uni- 
versal Film  Concern  in  the  Mecca  Building.  The 
writer  recently  had  a  chat  with  Herbert  Brenon,  one 
of  Laemmle's  directors,  and  a  big  one,  too,  who  found 
himself  when  he  entered  the  Laemmle  concern. 

Said  Brenon:  "Men  like  Laemmle  have  not  only 
been  greatly  responsible  for  the  present-day  growth 
of  the  film  industry,  but  it  is  such  as  he  who  have  in- 
spired conservative  business  men  in  the  world  of 
finance  to  invest  their  capital.  Men  who  have  per- 
sistently refused  to  finance  theatrical  undertakings  are 
now  importuning  the  Universal's  president  to  be  'let 
in'  on  his  future  operations."  There  you  have  it! 

Laemmle,  whose  extraordinary  career  is  described 
in  another  chapter,  can  go  into  Wall  Street  and  com- 
mand more  money  in  twenty-four  hours  than  was  ever 
invested  by  men  from  that  district  in  theatricals  in 
half  a  century,  and  surely  Laemmle's  achievements  in 
the  past  year  show  nothing  to  justify  one  to  predict  the 
least  retrogression. 

Although  I  am  wholly  opposed  to  the  film  produc- 
tions of  vice  plays,  underworld  revelations  and  the 


230 C6e   Cfreatte 

like,  it  took  a  Laemmle  to  grasp  this  problem.  He 
alone  prospered  amazingly  with  a  white  slave  photo- 
play because  "Traffic  in  Souls"  was  the  first  and  the 
least  offensive,  and  such  interference  on  the  part  of 
the  authorities  as  there  was  in  a  few  small  towns, 
was  due  to  confusion  as  to  its  identity,  many  believing 
this  was  the  production  that  was  permanently  with- 
drawn by  the  courts.  But,  I  do  not  believe  that 
Laemmle  will  encourage  further  productivity  of  this 
nature.  The  productions  of  1914,  such  as  "Samson," 
"Ivanhoe,"  and  "Neptune's  Daughter,"  represent  but 
a  faint  conception  of  the  plans  for  even  this  year's 
screen  output. 

Laemmle  has  at  his  command  within  the  confines  of 
the  Universal  artistic  department — if  it  can  be  called 
such — a  group  of  men  who  represent  as  an  entity  far 
more  for  the  future  of  the  film  industry  than  the  cap- 
ture of  famous  players  or  even  famous  plays,  and  he 
knows  that  with  the  Captain  Peacockes — Otis  Turn- 
ers, the  King  Baggots,  and  the  Herbert  Brenons,  he 
is  well  prepared  for  that  day,  believed  by  many 
to  be  near  at  hand,  when  the  vital  stage  of  the  moving 
picture  evolution  will  reveal  a  far  more  important  line 
of  productivity  than  plays  of  other  days.  The  success 
of  "Cabiria"  assures  a  plethora  of  such  productions  in 
1914-15. 

It  is  undoubtedly  the  near  approach  of  this  period, 
that  has  induced  Mr.  Brady's  forecast.  The  writer  be- 
lieves the  latter  is  correct  in  his  conclusions  as  to  the 
coming  of  the  legitimate  theatre  into  its  own,  but  this 
condition  will  have  been  created  greatly  through  the 
improvement  in  film  productions  which  demanded  an 
increase  in  expenditure  on  the  part  of  the  public,  and 
which  first  familiarized  millions  of  non-playgoers  with 


of    Science 


plays  and  players  alike.  The  desire  to  see  the  latter 
in  the  flesh  is  the  greatest  asset  the  play  producer  has 
ever  had. 

David  Warfield  invested  some  of  his  tremendous 
earnings  on  the  stage  in  moving  pictures  many  years 
ago,  but  unlike  Mr.  Brady,  he  had  faith  and  while  not 
yet  changing  his  environment  artistically,  has  added 
to  his  fortune,  so  I  am  informed  a  sum  total  that  can 
not  be  represented  in  less  than  six  figures.  That  he 
was  offered  as  much  more  to  pose  before  the  camera 
in  "The  Music  Master"  merely  indicates  that  War- 
field  prefers  to  await  the  day  when  his  appearance  on 
the  screen  may  be  accomplished  with  grace  and  dig- 
nity; at  least,  he  has  expressed  himself  as  believing 
that  the  production  of  photoplays  will  not  reach  the 
zenith  point  until  the  playwright  is  provided  with  in- 
centive to  put  forth  at  least  equal  effort  as  that  which 
has  characterized  his  stage  writings. 


232  C6e    C&eatte 


CHAPTER  XI 

Among  the  foremost  achievements  to  the  credit  of 
the  Camera  Man,  that  of  the  conquest  of  the  public 
press,  was  notable  because  of  the  reluctancy  on  the 
part  of  publishers  and  editors  alike  to  embrace  the 
subject  of  motion  pictures  save  in  a  spirit  of  censure, 
a  policy  which  was  maintained  in  this  country  long 
after  foreign  writers  had  accorded  lengthy  essays  deal- 
ing with  the  subject's  artistic  and  educational  side. 

As  recently  as  four  years  ago,  even  in  the  largest 
cities,  the  motion  picture  was  not  recognized  to  the 
extent  of  inclusion  among  the  amusements  daily  re- 
corded in  the  public  press,  and  the  spectacle  of  an  ad- 
vertisement in  the  amusement  columns  was  rarely  on 
view.  Practically  all  of  the  publicity  for  film  exploita- 
tion came  from  the  none  too  attractive  poster  display 
in  the  front  of  the  playhouse.  Even  as  late  as  1911, 
when  the  great  Bernhardt  was  first  introduced  as  a 
photoplayer,  the  production  of  "Camille"  was  an- 
nounced solely  through  pictorial  posters.  I  recall  that 
such  important  screen  productions  were  on  view  in 
what  are  called  neighborhood  theatres,  and  it  is  fair 
to  state  that  not  one  in  twenty  of  regular  playgoers 


"THE  CRICKET  ON  THE  HEARTH' 

(American  Film  Co.) 


"THE  HERMIT" 

Artistic  production  of  American  Film  Co. 


of    Science 233 

were  informed  of  their  coming  or  going.  Yet  here  was 
the  greatest  actress  of  her  time,  to  see  whom  playgoers 
of  three  decades  were  wont  to  stand  in  line  for  hours 
in  the  effort  to  secure  seats  at  $3.00  each,  but  when  it 
was  possible  through  the  genius  of  the  film  studio  to 
witness  a  fairly  adequate  production  of  the  elder  Du- 
mas' most  compelling  play,  with  no  seat  costing  more 
than  25  cents,  the  press  hardly  noticed  the  innovation. 

One  of  the  first,  if  not  indeed  the  first,  class  of  pub- 
lications to  recognize  the  significance  of  the  motion 
picture  from  various  angles  was  the  scientific  and  me- 
chanical magazines.  Of  these,  "Scientific  American"  re- 
vealed to  the  layman  persistently  almost  every  devel- 
opment, illustrating  the  articles  appropriately  and  pre- 
senting the  text  in  non-technical  language.  Being  a 
weekly  publication  widely  circulated  throughout  the 
nation,  the  influence  of  Editor  Munn  in  breaking  down 
the  barriers  against  the  new  art  in  editorial  sanctums 
cannot  be  overestimated.  In  fact,  previous  to  1904,  arti- 
cles originally  published  in  "Scientific  American"  and 
reproduced  or  reviewed  throughout  the  country  (not 
always  with  credit,  however)  was  practically  the  first 
extensive  publicity  accomplished.  It  is  also  true  that 
as  the  progress  and  expansion  of  the  motion-picture  in- 
dustry became  more  pronounced,  it  was  an  almost  reg- 
ular thing  to  see  from  one  to  three  pages  in  Mr. 
Munn's  weekly  given  over  to  the  newest  phase  of  film 
progress. 

One  had  to  look  to  the  scientific  or  trade  issue  al- 
most entirely  for  any  adequate  recital  of  what  the 
camera  man  was  accomplishing,  and  fortunately  a  few 
of  these  publications,  those  that  were  first  to  see  the 
trend,  were  not  only  of  wide  and  enormous  circulation, 
but  their  influence  with  editors  of  the  big  dailies  was 


234  Cfte    Cfteatre 

beyond  question.  Perhaps  there  is  hardly  an  editor  of 
a  newspaper  in  this  country  who  does  not  read  "Popu- 
lar Mechanics/'  and  to  read  it  means  to  quote  from 
its  endless  first-hand  and  informative  articles,  while 
the  illustrations,  I  know  from  personal  experience,  are 
invariably  taken  by  its  own  cameras.  The  motion  pic- 
ture, as  well  as  the  various  phonographs,  player- 
pianos,  and  mechanical  orchestras,  owe  much  to  "Pop>- 
ular  Mechanics,"  which  has  a  bona-fide  circulation  ex- 
ceeding 370,000  copies  and  constantly  increasing. 
Moreover,  the  larger  cities  do  not  contribute  the  great- 
er portion  of  this  total. 

Being  eclectic  in  character,  selecting  its  subjects 
from  the  world's  literature,  perhaps  no  individual  pub- 
lication has  accorded  to  the  motion  picture  a  wider  or 
more  persistent  publicity  than  "The  Literary  Digest," 
and,  being  a  weekly,  it  may  be  stated  that  its  four 
issues  a  month  contain  more  on  an  average  concerning 
filmdom  than  on  any  other  subject ;  and,  while  its  cus- 
tom is  to  merely  review  the  writings  of  authors  in 
magazines  and  newspapers,  very  frequently  entire  ar- 
ticles on  motion  pictures  are  reproduced,  always  with 
credit,  of  course.  The  benefit  of  this  policy  to  the  film 
industry  may  not  be  overestimated,  for  very  often  "The 
Literary  Digest"  will  reproduce  lengthy  essays  origi- 
nally presented  in  what  are  called  "the  trade  issues," 
which,  being  circulated  solely  among  those  affiliated 
with  the  industry,  have  a  limited  audience,  whereas 
"The  Literary  Digest"  spreads  the  influence  of  such  es- 
says throughout  the  world,  its  articles  and  reviews  be- 
ing widely  copied  in  many  languages. 

Motion  pictures  as  a  newspaper  subject  on  an  im- 
portant scale  made  little  headway  during  the  period 
1896  to  1908.  That  is  to  say,  that  between  the  advent 


c  f    » t  i  e  n  c  e  235 

of  the  cinematograph  and  the  inauguration  of  the  pho- 
toplay era,  full-page  articles,  such  as  are  now  common, 
found  little  appeal  in  editorial  sanctums.  The  writer 
having  contributed  to  many  publications,  is  able  to 
state  that  during  the  first  ten  years  following  the  first 
presentation  of  motion  pictures  not  one  in  twenty 
magazines  or  Sunday  newspapers  accepted  this  type 
of  article  even  when  profusely  and  elaborately  illus- 
trated, but  from  1908  onward  articles  on  the  film  in- 
dustry from  all  angles  found  a  larger  appeal  and  a 
readier  sale  than  all  musical  and  theatrical  subjects 
combined,  and  this  statement  is  true  to-day  to  an  even 
greater  extent.  The  first  group  of  Sunday  newspapers 
to  present  lengthy  essays  was  what  is  known  as  the 
"Associated  Sunday  Magazine/*  which  provides  a  sep- 
arate magazine  for  a  dozen  big  city  Sunday  issues. 

One  of  the  first,  if  not  indeed  the  first,  big  city  news- 
paper to  devote  a  page  regularly  to  motion  pictures 
was  the  "Cleveland  Leader,"  and  this  feature  has  from 
the  outset  exerted  a  wide  influence,  vastly  increasing 
the  circulation  of  the  publication  itself,  while  as  a  re- 
sult of  accurate  and  first-hand  information  the  Ohio 
publication  has  come  to  be  regarded  as  a  vital  factor 
in  the  industry.  Many  of  the  manufacturers  adver- 
tise in  it  and  considerable  national  advertising  of  a 
film  character  may  now  be  seen  in  its  pages. 

About  two  years  ago  interest  in  photoplays  became 
so  pronounced  that  many  of  the  nation's  newspapers 
in  large  and  moderate-sized  cities  started  full-page  de- 
partments. In  many  of  these  to-day  more  space  is 
given  over  to  motion  pictures  than  to  opera,  drama, 
and  vaudeville  combined,  while  in  the  majority  of 
smaller  cities  the  newspapers  use  syndicated  matter, 
the  New  York  concerns  sending  out  matrices.  One  of 


236  C&e   C&eatte 

the  syndicates  supplies  over  one  hundred  newspapers 
with  a  full  page  of  text  and  illustrations  once  a  week. 
Arthur  Leslie  is  the  publisher. 

New  York  City  v/as  the  last  of  the  large  cities  to 
capitulate  to  the  influence  of  the  camera  man,  at  least 
as  far  as  inaugurating  ample  departments  in  the  news- 
papers. In  fact,  not  until  1914  did  any  of  the  dailies 
start  regular  film  pages.  The  "New  York  Herald"  in 
the  morning  and  the  "Evening  Globe"  in  the  afternoon 
present  quite  an  elaborate  daily  description  of  all  that 
is  doing  in  the  film  world.  The  "Globe's"  page  has  at- 
tracted widespread  interest,  and  one  may  safely  ven- 
ture the  prediction  that  by  the  time  this  volume  is  is- 
sued the  other  newspapers  will  fall  into  line. 

It  is,  however,  necessary  to  qualify  the  statement  as 
to  precedence  in  New  York  City  in  that  the  "Evening 
Journal,"  while  not  up  to  this  writing  establishing  a 
regular  daily  department,  was  one  of  the  very  first 
newspapers  in  the  country  to  emphatically  endorse 
the  new  art  and  its  productivity.  In  fact,  to  this  day 
no  more  helpful  contribution  to  film  progress  may  be 
pointed  to  than  the  editorials  v/hich  appeared  in  all  of 
Mr.  Hearst's  newspapers  in  1913. 

The  "New  York  Evening  Journal"  has  for  over  a  year 
reviewed  photoplays  with  as  much  seriousness  as  the 
spoken  play,  and  as  its  theatrical  department  is  pre- 
sided over  by  Charles  F.  Zittel,  a  young  man  who  has 
had  an  amazingly  meteoric  career  greatly  due  to  a 
unique  method  of  reviewing  the  programs  in  the 
vaudeville  theatres,  it  was  natural  that  "Zit"  would 
see  the  wisdom  of  including  photoplays  and  kindred 
film  subjects  in  his  department. 

It  is  said  that  Marcus  Loew  gives  credit  to  "Zit" 
for  much  of  the  success  that  he  has  achieved  in  New 


of    Science 237 

York.  To  this  day  Mr.  Loew  advertises  in  no  other 
newspaper,  while  the  amount  expended  in  the  "Even- 
ing Journal"  is  said  to  exceed  $1,000  a  week,  a  total 
quite  as  large  as  was  spent  by  the  combined  amuse- 
ment managers  before  Zit's  advent.  But  this  is  not  all 
that  the  clever  writer  has  accomplished.  The  "Evening 
Journal,"  about  the  end  of  1912,  began  to  attract  man- 
agerial attention  with  the  frequency  of  its  full-page 
advertisements  of  current  stage  attractions.  The  finan- 
cial outcome  of  this  was  wholly  constructive.  Plays 
which  started  badly  gradually  became  box-office  suc- 
cesses. The  movement  grew  to  such  an  extent  that  it 
is  not  considered  remarkable  if  as  high  as  $3,000  is 
spent  for  theatrical  advertising  on  an  ordinary  day, 
while  on  Saturdays  in  this  one  publication  theatrical 
advertising  involves  more  expenditure  than  was  ac- 
corded to  all  the  New  York  newspapers  combined  as 
recently  as  five  years  ago  on  a  week  day. 

But  gradually  the  other  newspapers  reaped  the  bene- 
fit. "Zit"  had  demonstrated  that  advertising  of  the 
unusual  order  was  extremely  profitable.  Other  man- 
agers envied  Mr.  Loew — and  other  newspapers  envied 
the  "Evening  Journal."  Now,  all  of  the  evening  papers 
except  the  "Post"  have  daily  from  two  to  four  adver- 
tisements exceeding  two  columns  each  about  equally 
divided  between  the  spoken  drama  and  photoplays,  but 
the  latter  are  gradually  assuming  the  lead — particu- 
larly since  the  inauguration  of  the  Vitagraph  Theatre 
(February  7,  1914),  which  was  followed  by  a  veritable 
stampede  of  the  best  theatres  by  the  camera  men ;  and 
this  brought  about  an  advertising  movement  unprece- 
dented in  the  history  of  the  theatre. 

The  newspapers  that  were  wont  to  regard  the  mo- 
tion picture  as  a  mere  toy,  and  which  were  so  reluc- 


238 Cfre    Cjjeatre 

tant  to  give  over  their  columns  to  screen  productivity, 
are  now  awakened  to  the  significance  of  things.  Pub- 
lishers and  editors  alike  are  vicing  with  each  other  in 
an  effort  to  secure  precedence.  The  "New  York  Sun," 
in  its  Sunday  issues,  has  persistently  presented  elabo- 
rate and  profusely  illustrated  articles,  not  infrequently 
two  or  three  in  its  magazine  section  alone,  and  the 
double-page  descriptions  of  some  of  the  intrepid  expe- 
ditions of  camera  men  are  by  no  means  the  results  of 
exploitation;  in  fact,  these  have  invariably  come  as  a 
surprise  to  the  publicity  departments  of  the  film  con- 
cerns. 

The  most  important  of  the  many  publicity  innova- 
tions and  the  one  to  have  the  greatest  influence  in  its 
after  effects  was  accomplished  through  an  affiliation 
between  the  Edison  Company  and  "The  Ladies' 
World,"  a  McClure  publication. 

The  Edison  Company,  from  its  Bronx  studio,  re- 
leased a  serial  photoplay  in  1913,  entitled  "What  Hap- 
pened to  Mary,"  and  as  each  chapter  was  shown  on 
the  screen,  "The  Ladies'  World"  presented  the  fictional 
story.  If  this  was  not  the  first  undertaking  of  the 
kind,  any  previous  one  was  never  brought  to  my  at- 
tention. The  success,  however,  in  this  instance  was 
truly  sensational.  In  the  city  where  I  reside  one  deal- 
er informed  me  that  where  previously  he  sold  five 
copies,  the  sales  increased  with  each  installment  until 
they  exceeded  one  hundred — this  being  in  a  city  of 
30,000  where  there  are  a  half  dozen  newsdealers  of 
about  equal  influence. 

What  the  actual  increase  in  circulation  amounted  to 
as  an  entity  I  may  not  state,  but  Mr.  Gardner  W. 
Wood,  the  editor  of  "The  Ladies'  World,"  informed  me 
that  on  newsstands  alone  the  sales  during  the  first 


C.  F.  ZITTEL 

'Evening  Journal,"  New  York  City 


EUGENE  V.  BREWSTER 

Editor  "Motion  Picture  Magazine' 


TRACY  H.  LEWIS 

Editor  and  Manager  Moving  Picture  Weekly 
section,  "Morning  Telegraph" 


RICHARD  WILLIS 

Representative  of  photoplayers  and  publicity 
Promoter 


Brilliant  Writers  on  Moving  Pictures  from  Different  Angles 


of    Science 239 

serial  increased  more  than  100,000  a  month,  which  is 
not  surprising  when  we  consider  that  after  seeing  the 
film  story  on  the  screen  the  "fans"  were  wont  to  hang 
about  the  newsstands  in  the  hope  of  thus  obtaining  the 
magazine  earlier.  The  success  was  such  with  the  first 
series  that  a  second  almost  immediately  followed,  en- 
titled "Who  Will  Marry  Mary?"  which  so  materially 
added  to  the  magazine's  following  that  its  editor  was 
in  a  quandary  as  to  what  might  happen  if  the  contents 
page  contained  nothing  of  interest  to  the  photoplay 
following  that  had  doubled  its  circulation  outside  of 
the  subscriptions. 

But  "The  Ladies'  World"  has  never  been  issued  since 
without  a  "movie"  feature — more  often  than  not  there 
are  two  or  three,  the  latest  and  perhaps  the  most  ef- 
fective to  date  being  "The  Hero  Contest,"  an  original 
idea  conceived  in  the  editorial  sanctum  of  the  maga- 
zine. Selecting  for  the  purpose  a  story  by  Louis 
Tracy,  called  "One  Wonderful  Night,"  the  action  of 
which  is  built  around  a  typical  hero  of  fiction,  the  edi- 
tor then  selected  seven  of  the  most  prominent  leading 
men  of  filmdom  and  put  it  up  to  the  magazine's  read- 
ers to  decide  which  was  best  fitted  to  play  the  hero. 
At  this  writing  the  voting  is  tremendous,  with  Francis 
Bushman  in  the  lead. 

In  theatrical  history  there  is  no  record  of  such  ex- 
traordinary publicity  accorded  to  players  or  plays. 
Surely  Mary  Fuller,  of  the  Edison  Company,  was  fa- 
mous enough  before  "The  Ladies'  World"  began  to  add 
to  her  vogue.  To-day  Mary  Fuller  is  known  by  sight 
and  by  name  to  more  than  ninety  per  cent  of  the  peo- 
ple all  over  the  world.  On  the  speaking  stage  Miss 
Fuller  is  one  of  the  few  film  stars  with  a  record  of 
achievement  on  the  stage,  but  none  will  deny  that  she 


240 Cfte    Cfteatte 

was  not  discovered  till  she  faced  the  camera  for  the 
theatre  of  science. 

As  for  Mr.  Bushman,  I  can  only  say  that  with  forty 
years  of  close  observation  of  things  theatrical,  I  never 
saw  him  act  on  the  stage  and  never  heard  of  him  as 
an  actor  in  the  flesh,  but  there  are  a  score  of  present- 
day  screen  celebrities  who  never  trod  the  boards  in 
their  lives.  Bushman,  like  many  others  who  found 
fame  and  fortune  in  the  studio,  is  one  of  the  expert 
directors,  and  not  infrequently  produces  and  even 
writes  the  photoplays  that  he  is  featured  in. 

The  successful  outcome  of  the  Edison-"Ladies* 
World"  affiliations  was  not  long  in  attracting  others. 
As  I  am  writing  now  the  Edison  Company  informs  me 
that  it  is  releasing  a  photoplay  in  serial  in  association 
with  the  "Popular  Magazine,"  but  the  most  extensive 
prolonged  publicity  campaign  in  the  history  of  the  the- 
atre and  journalism  combined  was  that  inaugurated  in 
1914  in  Chicago,  whereby  the  Selig  Polyscope  Com- 
pany, of  which  W.  N.  Selig  is  the  head,  and  a  group  of 
big  city  Sunday  newspapers,  extending  from  coast  to 
coast,  collaborated  for  the  purpose  of  presenting  on 
the  screen  and  in  the  countless  newspapers  a  serial 
fiction  story  written  by  Harold  MacGrath  from  a  sce- 
nario by  Gilson  Willets  and  visualized  in  the  Selig 
Studio  in  Los  Angeles — "The  Adventures  of  Kathlyn" 
— the  longest  photoplay  that  had  been  released  up  to 
the  time  of  this  writing.  Two  reels  constituted  each 
of  the  twice-a-month  releases,  save  the  first  of  the 
thirteenth,  which  required  three  reels,  the  complete 
production  being  in  twenty-seven  reels. 

The  tremendous  publicity  through  the  weekly  in- 
stallments in  so  many  important  newspapers  marked 
a  new  era  in  the  film  industry.  One  of  the  Chicago 


of    defence 241 

newspapers  not  included  in  the  number  presenting  the 
serial  for  several  consecutive  days  published  inter- 
views with  different  players,  directors,  and  mechanics 
concerned  in  the  production,  and  through  this  source 
it  was  learned  that  a  prominent  Chicago  exhibitor  who 
had  long  been  accustomed  to  combining  vaudeville 
and  motion  pictures  eliminated  the  latter  just  before 
the  advent  of  the  "Kathlyn"  series,  giving  as  his  rea- 
son that  motion  pictures  having  reached  their  zenith, 
were  now  on  the  decline,  that  he  shifted  to  vaudeville 
entirely  through  fear  of  losing  his  public  following. 

When  the  "Kathlyn"  series  was  started,  this  exhib- 
itor, attracted  by  the  newspaper  accounts  as  well  as 
the  illustrated  full-page  chapter  in  the  "Chicago  Trib- 
une," proceeded  at  once  to  a  near-by  theatre  owned  by 
his  rival,  and  was  so  impressed  by  the  production  and 
by  the  crowds  seeking  admission  that  the  next  day  he 
announced  "The  Adventures  of  Kathlyn"  as  a  regular 
three-day  attraction  in  one  of  his  theatres,  and  in  the 
others  each  installment  was  kept  for  an  entire  week. 
Now  eleven  new  theatres  in  Chicago  present  the  film 
serial  every  day.  The  spectacle  of  a  line  a  full  block 
long  approaching  the  box  office  was  almost  daily  on 
view  in  different  parts  of  the  western  metropolis. 

Mr.  Selig  truly  has  shown  great  enterprise  and  not 
a  little  of  that  rare  quality  called  showmanship 
throughout  his  long  and  unexampled  film  career.  One 
of  the  earliest  pioneers  in  the  industry,  his  efforts  have 
long  since  ceased  to  be  characterized  by  selfish  aims. 
Undoubtedly  Mr.  Selig  attributes  much  of  the  financial 
success  of  the  Kathlyn  series  to  the  advertising  result- 
ing from  the  combined  co-operation  of  scores  of  vastly 
circulated  newspapers.  In  fact,  the  number  of  publi- 
cations which  presented  the  fiction  series  was  greatly 


2*2 Cfte   Cfteatte 

augmented  after  the  first  few  chapters  were  released, 
for  at  the  time  of  this  writing  many  of  the  moderate- 
sized  cities  have  been  added,  and  Mr.  Selig  has  been 
so  impressed  with  the  outcome  of  his  first  effort  along 
these  lines  that  he  has  formulated  elaborate  plans  for 
the  future  through  which  photoplays  involving  months 
of  preparation  and  unprecedented  expenditure  for  pro- 
duction will  be  released  simultaneously  in  installments 
with  the  fictionized  chapters  in  the  principal  newspa- 
pers of  every  large  city  in  the  world,  irrespective  of 
language. 

The  Hearst-Selig  affiliation  is  but  another  illustra- 
tion of  the  trend  toward  co-operation  between  the  film 
producers  and  the  larger  publishers  of  newspapers  and 
magazines.  Mr.  Hearst  has  so  often  proclaimed  his 
belief  as  to  the  influence  of  the  motion  picture  in  the 
national  life  that  it  is  a  source  of  wonder  that  he  has 
not  long  since  established  regular  film  departments  in 
all  of  his  publications;  but  to  his  enterprise  and  that 
of  the  Pathe  Freres  is  due  an  innovation  as  important 
and  compelling  as  any  yet  conceived.  Early  in  1914, 
through  this  amalgamation,  a  daily  fiction  story  is 
published  in  all  of  the  Hearst  newspapers,  while  on 
the  same  day  in  more  than  500  photoplay  houses  the 
story  is  picturized  on  the  screen. 

So  constructive  is  this  original  method  of  simultane- 
ous presentation  that  the  exhibitors  have  acknowl- 
edged its  influence  to  be  beyond  computation,  which 
is  not  surprising  when  one  considers  that  in  all  of  the 
Hearst  papers  each  day  is  printed  a  half-page  list  of 
all  of  the  more  than  500  photoplay  houses  where  the 
film  version  may  be  seen.  Truly  the  camera  man  is 
marching  on. 

Mr.    Hearst    undoubtedly    is    impressed    with    the 


PEARL  WHITE  AND  CRANE  WILBUR  IN  "THE  PERILS  OF  PAULINE" 

A  Pathe-Eclectic  film  creation  in  serial,  for  which  a  chain  of  newspapers  has  inaugurated 
a  $25,000  list  of  prizes  for  its  readers 


MARY  PICKFORD 

A  moving  picture  star  who  is  idolized  the  world  over 


of    Science 243 

amazing  possibilities  which  such  simultaneous  presen- 
tation of  stories — fictionized  and  pictureized — indicate, 
and  that  his  part  in  the  future  of  the  motion  picture  is 
not  likely  to  be  lessened  from  now  on  is  shown  in  the 
manner  in  which  "The  Perils  of  Pauline" — a  Pathe 
Eclectic  production  in  serial  form — is  exploited.  Be- 
sides the  presentation  of  the  illustrated  chapters  in  the 
Hearst  publications  slightly  in  advance  of  the  releases 
of  film  to  the  photoplay  houses,  no  less  than  $25,000 
in  cash  prizes  is  being  awarded  to  the  readers  of  these 
publications,  the  prizes  being  accorded  by  judges. 

In  March,  1914,  "The  New  York  Herald"  inaugurated 
a  series  of  full-page  illustrated  articles  in  its  Sunday 
Magazine  Section,  which  has  projected  the  photoplay- 
ers  more  intimately  and  quite  seriously  to  the  general 
public.  One  of  these  articles  dealt  with  the  "Heroes" 
of  filmdom — that  is,  the  idolized  favorites,  such  as 
King  Baggot,  Maurice  Costello,  J.  Warren  Kerrigan, 
and  Ben  Wilson.  Another  article  was  entirely  about 
the  villains  of  the  screen.  It  is  plainly  evident,  too,  that 
the  "Herald's"  writer  in  this  instance  is  not  inclined 
to  hesitate  to  mete  out  to  the  photoplayer  a  fair  meas- 
ure of  credit  for  what  he  has  achieved.  Such  expres- 
sions as  "A  King  by  Name  and  a  King  by  Nature" 
(referring  to  King  Baggot)  reveal  but  an  inkling  of 
the  dignified  yet  wholly  just  appreciation  of  the  art 
of  these  idols  of  the  public,  most  of  whom  became 
world  famous  because  their  genius  found  first  ample 
expression  in  the  film  studio. 

Nineteen-fourteen  surely  is  the  red-letter  year  of 
the  camera  man's  conquest  of  the  press.  The  "Evening 
Globe"  (New  York),  not  satisfied  with  being  the  first 
evening  newspaper  to  establish  a  regular  film  page, 
began  in  March  of  that  year  to  present  daily  film 


244 Cfte   Cfreatte 

stories,  released  by  the  Universal  Film  Company  sim- 
ultaneously. The  "Evening  Sun"  and  the  "Evening 
Mail"  in  the  same  month  also  capitulated. 

Evidently  the  Edison  Company  was  not  lacking  in 
appreciation  of  the  vogue  of  the  "Mary"  series  in  "The 
Ladies'  World,"  for  after  having  for  the  time  being  ex- 
hausted the  prolonged  vitality  of  the  intrepid  film  cre- 
ation, the  big  moving-picture  concern  yearned  for  new 
subjects  and  new  magazines  with  which  to  increase 
the  vast  audience  it  now  appeals  to,  so  in  March,  1914, 
Marc  MacDermott,  Edison's  most  compelling  male 
star,  was  featured  as  John  Pemton,  in  "The  Man  Who 
Disappeared,"  presented  in  ten  monthly  installments 
on  the  screen,  while  "The  Popular  Magazine"  is  pub- 
lishing also  monthly  chapters  written  by  Richard 
Washburn  Child.  This  affiliation,  like  many  others  of 
a  similar  nature,  is  certain  to  vastly  enlarge  the  fol- 
lowing of  one  of  the  most  artistic  photoplayers  in  all 
filmdom,  for  Mr.  MacDermott  takes  his  work  serious- 
ly, and,  as  he  himself  has  expressed  it,  "The  call  of 
the  stage  was  constantly  lessening  in  its  appeal  as  I 
realized  the  greater  scope  for  expression  which  the 
newer  art  has  endowed  me  with."  The  publishing 
house  of  Doubleday,  Page  &  Co.,  though  it  fell  in  line 
with  others  in  the  epochal  year  of  1914  by  an  affilia- 
tion with  the  Edison  Company,  was  one  of  the  very 
first  to  recognize  the  importance  of  the  motion  picture 
through  one  of  its  magazines — "The  World's  Work" — 
which  presented  serious  essays  appropriately  illus- 
trated almost  from  the  outset  of  its  existence,  and  these 
articles  were  contributed  invariably  by  writers  whose 
renown  was  achieved  through  scientific  as  well  as  lit- 
erary attainments,  but  not  until  March,  1914,  did  this 


of    Science 245 

firm  respond  to  the  call  for  the  serial  now  so  popular 
on  screen  and  in  magazines  alike. 

Selecting  its  fiction  magazine  known  as  "Short 
Stories,"  and  authorizing  its  editor,  H.  E.  Maule,  to  go 
as  far  as  he  liked,  the  latter  arranged  with  the  late 
Thomas  W.  Hanshew  (who  passed  away  just  as  his 
fiction  characters  were  to  be  filmed),  author  of  "Cleek 
of  Scotland  Yard,"  to  prepare  a  serial,  entitled  "The 
Chronicles  of  Cleek,"  which  is  being  released  simul- 
taneously by  the  Edison  Company  and  "Short  Stories" 
on  the  fourth  Tuesday  of  each  month.  Hanshew  did 
not  live  to  witness  the  triumph  of  this  innovation 
which  introduced  the  detective  serial  as  a  film  feature. 
Undoubtedly  his  sad  demise  has  removed  one  whom 
many  believe  was  about  to  enter  the  scenario  field  with 
serious  intent,  and  as  Hanshew  had  been  an  actor  and 
had  written  plays  since  he  was  ten  years  old,  the  loss 
to  filmdom  is  indeed  regretable. 

The  sensational  vogue  of  Harold  MacGrath's  "Ad- 
ventures of  Kathlyn"  on  screen  and  in  the  press  alike 
has  attracted  the  attention  of  other  film  manufacturers 
to  this  author,  who  undoubtedly  has  found  his  income 
vastly  enlarged  if  reports  emanating  from  the  Selig  in- 
stitution are  correct,  and  as  the  saying  is,  "It  never 
rains  but  it  pours,"  for  now  comes  the  indefatigable 
Thanhouser  Company  with  the  announcement  that  it 
will  produce  Mr.  MacGrath's  "The  Million-Dollar 
Mystery,"  on  June  21st  (one  week  before  the  Kathlyn 
series  ends). 

The  arrangements  in  this  instance  are  on  a  prodig- 
ious scale.  The  number  of  publications  to  present  the 
fiction  story  in  weekly  installments  is  in  excess  of  two 
hundred,  including,  as  Mr.  Hite  aptly  puts  it,  "  'The 
Chicago  Tribune/  Creator  of  Kathlyn." 


Cfte    Cfteatre 


CHAPTER  XII 

As  recently  as  1910  the  first  exclusively  moving  pic- 
ture weekly  published  in  New  York  was  about  one- 
fourth  its  present  size.  In  appearance  the  "Moving 
Picture  World"  was  then  far  less  attractive  than  the 
average  house  organ  of  today.  As  I  recall  it,  there 
was  nothing  to  indicate  four  years  ago  that  this  publi- 
cation would  assume  two  years  later  overwhelming 
proportions  and  become  on  a  par  with  long  established 
trade  issues  in  other  fields. 

The  "Moving  Picture  World"  was  founded  by  the 
late  J.  P.  Chalmers,  though  Alfred  H.  Saunders  claims 
it  was  originally  his  idea  and  it  is  conceded  that  Saun- 
ders was  associated  with  Chalmers  at  the  outset.  The 
two  did  not  agree,  and  Saunders  later  launched  the 
"Moving  Picture  News,"  from  which  he  retired  in  1913 
to  become  one  of  the  officers  of  the  Colonial  Film 
Company.  Under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Chalmers  the 
"Moving  Picture  World"  quickly  became  all  powerful, 
with  a  policy  that  from  the  outset  was  characterized 
by  many  commendable  innovations.  Ever  prodding 
the  manufacturer  and  exhibitor  alike  in  an  effort  to 
improve  the  screen  output  and  the  conduct  of  the 


of    Science 247 

photoplay  house,  its  influence  soon  became  national 
while  its  circulation  grew  by  leaps  and  bounds,  later 
doubling  its  size  and  absorbing  "The  Film  Index"  and 
"Exhibitor's  Guide."  In  1913  it  required  100  pages  for 
its  text  and  advertising,  the  latter  representing  as  a 
whole  every  phase  of  activity  in  filmdom.  To-day  the 
"Moving  Picture  World"  is  a  150-page  publication, 
with  not  an  inkling  of  having  reached  the  limit  of  its 
expansion. 

On  the  editorial  staff  are  writers  who,  by  reason  of 
their  knowledge  of  the  technical  side  of  the  art,  are  en- 
abled to  greatly  aid  in  the  uplift  for  which  the  "World" 
is  constantly  aiming.  These  gentlemen  are  capable  of 
writing  for  the  screen,  hence  the  incongruities  of  criti- 
cisms of  plays  by  men  incapable  of  providing  remedies 
so  much  in  evidence  with  the  critics  of  the  spoken  play 
are  never  revealed  in  the  columns  of  the  "World."  Louis 
Reeves  Harrison,  W.  Stephen  Bush  and  Epes  Win- 
throp  Sargent  (the  last  named  being  referred  to  at 
length  in  another  chapter)  are  names  to  conjure  with 
in  picturedom.  Each  has  been  accorded  high  honors 
due  to  actual  achievement  in  the  studios,  while  Mr. 
Bush's  lectures  prepared  for  various  high  grade  pro- 
ductions have  served  to  render  a  more  concrete  under- 
standing of  educational  and  historical  releases.  The 
business  direction  of  the  "World"  is  in  the  hands  of 
John  Wylie,  who  has  shown  no  little  discernment  in 
this  capacity,  endeavoring  to  maintain  the  principles 
of  Founder  Chalmers,  yet  fully  awake  to  the  needs  of 
progress  and  expansion. 

The  "Motion  Picture  News"  is  a  consolidation  of  the 
"Moving  Picture  News,"  founded  in  1908,  and  "The 
Exhibitors'  Times,"  established  in  1913.  The  consoli- 
dation was  effected  in  September,  1913,  at  which  time 


248 Cfte    C&eatte 

"The  Exhibitors'  Times,"  Inc.,  purchased  the  "Mov- 
ing Picture  News"  from  the  Charles  Francis  Press. 

The  rapid  growth  of  the  new  publication,  under  the 
editorship  of  William  A.  Johnston,  formerly  publisher 
and  founder  of  "The  Exhibitors'  Times,"  has  been  un- 
precedented in  the  trade-journal  field.  The  size  of  the 
publication,  ninety  pages,  is  at  this  writing,  June,  1914, 
more  than  double  that  of  the  first  issue  in  September, 
1913.  Staff  correspondents,  who  in  each  instance  are 
trained  newspaper  men,  are  maintained  in  sixty-seven 
cities  in  the  United  States  and  Canada. 

The  editorial  and  business  staff  includes  William  A. 
Johnston,  Editor;  Merritt  Crawford,  Managing  Edi- 
tor; Lesley  Mason,  News  Editor;  E.  J.  Hudson,  Cir- 
culation Manager;  E.  Kendall  Gillett,  Advertising  and 
Business  Manager;  C.  J.  Ver  Halen,  Chicago  Man- 
ager; Neyroud  &  Co.,  English  and  Continental  agents. 

"The  Exhibitors'  Times"  was  established  as  an  inde- 
pendent journal  devoted  primarily  to  the  interests  of 
the  exhibitor.  That  remains  the  policy  of  "The  Mo- 
tion Picture  News,"  unchanged  only  in  that  the  orig- 
inal policy  has  been  expanded  along  these  lines. 

"The  Moving  Picture  News,"  its  policies,  career, 
etc.,  is  not  to  be  confounded  with  the  character  of  the 
present  publication.  "The  Motion  Picture  News"  is 
and  will  remain  absolutely  non-partisan  in  every  sense. 
It  is  utterly  free  from  control.  None  of  the  owners  is 
interested  directly  or  indirectly  with  any  other  branch 
of  the  film  industry.  Their  aim  is  simply  to  conduct 
a  high-class,  reputable,  interesting  and  authoritative 
journal  representing  the  art  and  industry  of  the  motion 
picture. 

In  Chicago,  however,  a  magazine  of  vast  scope  and 
influence,  originally  published  monthly,  now  semi- 


- 

i 


B      « 


of    Science 249 

monthly,  is  called  "Holography."  Its  present  editor 
is  Neil  Caward,  formerly  editor  of  the  "Photoplay 
Magazine,"  and  no  more  readable  and  informing  peri- 
odical dealing  with  the  industry  from  all  angles  is  to 
be  found  anywhere.  "Holography's"  essays  are  wide- 
ly quoted  in  important  newspapers,  and  the  influence 
of  the  magazine  has  been  particularly  noticeable  dur- 
ing the  past  year. 

There  are  a  number  of  smaller  or  unimportant  film 
publications  issued  in  the  West,  but  none  of  these 
have  served  any  great  purpose.  One  in  Los  Angeles 
is  perhaps  of  some  local  significance  because  of  the 
horde  of  players,  mechanics  and  various  attaches  of 
the  many  studios  congregated  in  the  vicinity  of  a  city 
now  the  very  centre  of  motion  picture  productivity. 

But  if  there  are  few  publications  of  a  trade  charac- 
ter, one  must  not  overlook  the  truly  tremendous  influ- 
ence of  the  many  theatrical  weeklies  which  have  one 
after  the  other  recognized  the  need  of  embracing  the 
film  doings  to  the  extent  of  launching  spacious  de- 
partments. The  "Morning  Telegraph's"  motion  pic- 
ture section  has  already  been  representative  of  the 
growth  of  the  industry  itself.  In  fact,  its  publishers 
now  realize  that  the  "Sunday  Telegraph"  has  been 
vastly  increased  in  value  and  influence  because  of  its 
photoplay  department. 

The  motion  picture  section  of  the  "Horning  Tele- 
graph" was  established  in  January,  1909.  It  was  un- 
pretentious and  one  man  only  was  required  to  attend 
to  both  the  business  and  editorial  ends.  It  was  but  a 
department  of  a  great  newspaper,  growing,  however, 
until  it  is  now  a  complete  journal  of  itself  devoted  to 
the  news  and  business  interests  of  this  new  great 
amusement  for  the  masses. 


250 Cfte   Cfteatte 

The  "Morning  Telegraph"  was  the  first  New  York 
newspaper  to  devote  any  considerable  space  to  mov- 
ing pictures  and  the  department,  like  a  stranger  in  a 
foreign  land,  attracted  considerable  attention,  not  to 
say  comment,  both  favorable  and  otherwise. 

While  the  other  New  York  newspapers  were  watch- 
ing the  new  department  somewhat  tolerantly,  some  re- 
garding moving  pictures  as  a  queer  freak  which  they 
called  "movies,"  this  paper  was  laying  the  foundation 
for  the  only  department  of  the  kind  conducted  by  a 
daily  newspaper,  and  the  revenue  from  it  alone  is  now 
second  in  the  sum  total  to  other  departments  of  the 
"Morning  Telegraph." 

George  Terwilliger,  who  had  charge  of  the  film  news 
of  the  "Morning  Telegraph,"  as  the  interest  in  pictures 
grew,  was  obliged  to  add  to  his  staff  and  employed  a 
regularly  equipped  critic  for  the  film  productions.  Mr. 
Terwilliger  in  September,  1911,  joined  the  Lubin  staff 
in  Philadelphia  and  recently  organized  a  company  for 
the  production  of  pictures  in  which  he  owns  a  sub- 
stantial interest. 

Joseph  Farnham  succeeded  Mr.  Terwilliger  as  ad- 
vertising manager  of  the  picture  section,  and  it  was 
under  his  immediate  direction  that  the  era  of  pros- 
perity and  expansion  began.  Mr.  Farnham  is  now  the 
advertising  manager  of  the  All-Star  Film  Company, 
and  the  duties  which  he  formerly  attended  to  are  now 
in  charge  of  John  W.  Semler,  who  has  a  regular  staff 
of  advertising  solicitors.  Tracy  H.  Lewis  is  editor  in 
charge  of  the  moving-picture  section  of  the  "Morning 
Telegraph,"  with  a  staff  of  four  assistants.  Mr.  Lewis, 
upon  graduating  from  Yale  two  years  ago,  began  work 
on  the  "New  York  Times,"  coming  from  that  paper  to 
the  "Morning  Telegraph." 


of    Science          251 

Under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Lewis  and  Mr.  Semler 
the  growth  of  the  section  has  been  steady  and  satis- 
factory to  the  utmost  degree  to  the  publishers. 

Not  alone  have  the  moving  picture  news  and  adver- 
tisements printed  in  the  Sunday  edition  of  the  "Morn- 
ing Telegraph"  the  vast  advantage  of  a  clientele  which 
numbers  upward  of  200,000  readers,  but  the  moving 
picture  section  is  issued  separately,  being  in  fact  a 
newspaper  by  itself., 

The  weekly  moving  picture  section  of  the  "Morn- 
ing Telegraph"  carries  with  it  a  half-tone  colored  sup- 
plement besides  its  Sunday  vogue  in  connection 
with  the  Sunday  edition  of  the  "Morning  Telegraph" 
has  a  circulation  of  nearly  16,000  among  moving  pic- 
ture actors,  theatre  owners,  manufacturers  and  all 
those  interested  in  the  trade.  It  covers  the  entire  field 
both  in  the  personal  news  and  news  of  the  vast  film 
industry  which  now  ranks  perhaps  among  the  big 
industries  of  the  United  States. 

The  Theatre  of  Science  has  brought  into  being  a 
literature  all  its  own.  It  is  distinctive,  new,  peculiar, 
and  different.  It  is  represented  by  hundreds  of  books 
and  at  least  a  half-dozen  periodical  publications  in 
America  alone. 

"The  Billboard,"  a  weekly  published  at  Cincinnati 
and  maintaining  bureaus  in  New  York,  Chicago,  St. 
Louis,  San  Francisco,  London  and  Paris,  was  the  first 
distinctly  theatrical  publication  in  America  to  recog- 
nize the  coming  importance  of  the  moving  picture  in 
the  amusement  field,  and  the  first  to  devote  a  depart- 
ment to  it  exclusively. 

"The  Billboard"  also  printed  the  first  moving  pic- 
ture advertisements,  and  for  over  a  year  represented 
the  infant  industry  exclusively. 


252 Cfre   Cfteatte 

Although  a  half-dozen  papers  have  since  sprung  up 
which  are  devoted  exclusively  to  the  interests  of  the 
motion  picture  field,  and  although  "The  Billboard" 
still  only  accords  it  a  department,  the  latter's  hold 
on  its  clients  has  grown  and  strengthened. 

"The  Billboard"  is  the  most  influential  journal  in 
the  moving  picture  field  and  the  strongest  theatrically 
of  them  all.  It  has  a  circulation  of  38,000  copies, 
which  is  well  over  twice  that  of  its  nearest  rival,  and 
there  are  those  who  believe  and  fearlessly  assert  that 
this  virile,  outspoken,  plain-dealing,  honest  paper  that 
comes  out  of  the  West,  has  a  larger  circulation  than 
all  its  contemporaries  combined. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  it  carries  the  most  advertising 
and  occupies  a  most  enviable  place  in  the  esteem  and 
regard  of  theatrical  and  show  folk  generally. 

It  speaks  with  authority  and  ably  champions  the 
best  interests  of  the  exhibitor. 

It  is  independent,  just,  fair,  but  unafraid  in  dealing 
with  the  politics  of  the  game,  and  merciless  in  criticism 
of  bad  showmanship,  uncommendable  practices  and 
unseemly  policies. 

It  not  only  condemns  the  evils  of  the  business,  how- 
ever. It  commends,  eulogizes  and  warmly  praises  men 
and  measures  that  make  for  its  uplift  and  elevation. 

On  this  account,  it  is  firmly  intrenched  in  the  affec- 
tions of  the  great  profession  whose  needs  and  require- 
ments it  caters  to  so  ably. 

Occasionally  "Billboard"  issues  special  numbers. 
These  are  truly  an  amazing  illustration  of  what  the 
amusement  field  stands  for.  It  is  only  a  truth  to  con- 
cede to  "Billy  Boy"  that  no  other  publication  appeals 
to  all  classes  of  "Showmen"  as  does  the  big  Ohio 
weekly. 


of    Science 253 

The  "Dramatic  Mirror,"  particularly  from  the  outset 
of  Frederick  Shrader's  editorial  incumbency,  became 
truly  representative  of  motion  picture  activities  and 
like  the  "Sunday  Telegraph,"  the  gentlemen  who  have 
conducted  its  extensive  film  departments  have  become 
material  factors  in  the  studios.  There  are  no  better 
qualified  exponents  of  the  technical  side  of  the  photo- 
play than  Frank  Woods  and  George  Terwilliger,  both 
graduates  from  the  "Mirror's"  film  departments.  At 
this  time  "The  film  man,"  Robert  E.  Welsh,  is  con- 
ducting the  "Mirror's"  widely  quoted  photoplay  sec- 
tion, and  in  1914  the  editorial  staff  in  this  department 
was  materially  augmented  by  William  Lord  Wright, 
long  contributing  to  various  trade  issues  and  maga- 
zines and  a  recognized  authority  on  all  scenario  ques- 
tions. 

The  "New  York  Clipper,"  being  the  oldest  theatrical 
publication,  always  has  included  every  phase  of  amuse- 
ment activities  in  its  pages,  hence  it  was  not  surpris- 
ing that  the  present  editor,  Albert  H.  Borie,  recognized 
the  need  of  devoting  more  space  to  the  camera  man 
than  to  any  single  feature  of  the  "show"  world.  It  is 
rare,  indeed,  that  the  "Clipper"  has  not  at  least  one  im- 
portant essay  contributed  by  motion-picture  experts. 
There  is  that  something  about  the  "Clipper"  as  far  back 
as  I  can  recall,  and  to  this  day,  which  has  endowed  its 
subject  matter  with  individuality.  One  may  note  yet 
the  typical  policy  of  its  pioneer  founder,  Frank  Queen. 
Modernism  nor  commercialism  can  obliterate  this  sur- 
vival of  a  dignified  though  unpropitious  theatrical  era, 

In  1914,  "Variety"  and  the  "New  York  Star"  vastly 
enlarged  their  film  departments. 

"The  Green  Paper,"  for  some  reason,  was  late  in 
the  field,  yet  one  glance  at  a  present-day  issue  as  corn- 


254 C6e   Cfteatre 

pared  with  one  of  as  recently  as  a  year  ago  will  indi- 
cate to  what  extent  the  move  was  justified.  The  "New 
York  Review"  has  often  had  temporarily  a  film  page, 
but  evidently  the  Shubert  organ  is  now  to  give  serious 
consideration  to  film  productions  in  which  the  Shu- 
berts  have  a  personal  interest  or  are  affiliated  with  in 
some  way,  and  this  will  influence  a  more  general  inter- 
est in  the  field  which  has  always  enriched  those  who 
intelligently  cater  to  its  manifold  needs. 

Of  all  the  various  publications  created  through  the 
vogue  of  the  silent  drama  none  have  prospered  so 
greatly  as  the  distinctly  "Story"  magazine,  the  first 
of  which — "The  Motion  Picture  Story  Magazine" — 
came  forth  on  February  11,  1911.  The  idea  was  original 
with  J.  Stuart  Blackton,  who  seems  to  have  enjoyed 
its  sensational  success  much  as  the  proud  father  of  an 
infant  prodigy  who  has  gazed  on  the  spectacle  of  the 
people  raving  over  a  new  genius,  and  among  publishers 
the  M.  P.  S.  M.  is  regarded  as  some  prodigy  to  this 
day.  It  is  truthfully  stated  that  the  very  first  issue 
was  50,000.  Writers  were  amazed  at  the  outset  to  re- 
ceive their  checks  for  contributions  almost  immedi- 
ately on  acceptance,  a  procedure  on  the  part  of  Editor 
Eugene  V.  Brewster  that  was  effective  in  quickly  in- 
ducing the  highest  grade  fiction  authors  to  become 
affiliated  with  the  publication.  On  its  staff  besides  Mr. 
Brewster,  who  has  been  a  sort  of  Pooh  Bah  acting  in 
every  capacity  except  that  of  "backer,"  are  Edwin  M. 
La  Roche,  Gladys  Hall  and  Dorothy  Donnell,  while 
among  its  contributors  were  Rex  Beach,  the  late  Will 
Carleton,  General  Horatio  C.  King  and  Carl  Fique. 

The  circulation  of  the  magazine  at  this  writing  is 
270,000  and  increasing  all  the  time ;  also  extending  into 
far-off  countries  where  the  call  for  a  similar  publica- 


of    Science 255 

tion  is  so  persistent  that  one  need  not  be  surprised  if 
Mr.  Blackton's  pet  enterprise  extends  its  operations 
through  publication  in  other  languages  within  a  year 
or  two.  Little  did  the  Vitagraph's  artistic  head  dream 
that  within  three  years  after  launching  the  magazine 
that  half  of  the  country's  highest  grade  fiction  periodi- 
cals and  practically  all  of  the  most  conservative  daily 
and  Sunday  newspapers  would  emulate  its  policy.  But 
it  is  certain  that  this  gentleman,  as  well  as  Editor 
Brewster,  is  not  disturbed,  for  both  have  co-operated 
with  the  "Evening  Sun"  of  New  York  City  in  the  lat- 
ter's  interesting  scenario  contest  wherein  prizes 
amounting  to  $1,350  were  awarded  in  1914  to  success- 
ful contestants. 

Besides,  nothing  to  compare  with  Editor  Brewster's 
innovation  under  the  caption,  "The  Answer  Man," 
has  ever  been  evolved  in  modern  journalism.  "The 
Answer  Man"  is  a  woman  and  a  veritable  encyclo- 
pedia of  picturedom  is  she.  This  feature  alone  has 
endeared  the  magazine  to  "fans"  all  over  the  world. 
In  1914  the  title  of  the  publication  was  changed  to 
"Motion  Picture  Magazine." 

"The  Photoplay  Magazine"  was  first  issued  in  1912. 
Its  vogue  was  short,  despite  that  the  independent  pro- 
ducers were  already  numerous  and  established,  the 
policy  of  the  publication  being  to  present  fictionized 
adaptations  of  the  screen  productions  of  the  inde- 
pendent faction.  In  1913,  under  an  entirely  new  regime, 
but  under  the  same  title,  the  magazine  was  revived, 
evidently  with  serious  intent. 

Handsome  in  appearance  and  replete  with  features 
and  departments,  "The  Photoplay  Magazine"  has  in- 
creased its  vogue  and  influence  steadily,  until  now  it 


256 Cfte    Cjjeatre 

is  issued  with  clock-like  regularity  and  has  found  its 
way  to  the  thousands  of  news-stands.  Moreover, 
gradually  the  distinctly  "western"  character,  which  at 
the  outset  the  publication  assumed,  has  given  way  to 
a  more  national  one,  and  now  the  magazine  is  quite  as 
popular  in  the  East  as  in  the  West. 

"Moving  Picture  Stories,"  a  weekly  magazine  ap- 
pearing first  as  it  did  following  the  more  or  less  disas- 
trous career  of  a  similar  effort  published  in  connec- 
tion with  "The  Moving  Picture  News,"  was  not  hailed 
at  the  outset  as  likely  to  supply  any  great  need  in  the 
industry,  but  the  name  of  Frank  Tousey,  its  publisher, 
was  calculated  to  inspire  confidence  in  the  stability  of 
the  enterprise,  and  time  has  proved  that  this  confi- 
dence was  wholly  justified. 

Starting  on  January  3,  1913,  its  four  issues  a  month 
have  appeared  with  clock-like  regularity  and  its  cir- 
culation has  steadily  increased,  until  now  its  hand- 
some cover  pages  are  displayed  wherever  periodicals 
are  on  sale.  Interest  in  photoplays  is  so  intense  that 
it  is  not  surprising  that  thousands  are  impatiently 
awaiting  the  appearance  of  those  publications  which 
fictionize  the  screen  stories,  hence  "Motion  Picture 
Stories,"  being  a  weekly,  was  bound  to  find  a  vogue, 
particularly  in  view  of  the  steady  improvement  in  its 
subject  matter,  for  which  no  little  credit  is  due  to  L. 
Senarens,  the  editor. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  nevertheless  true,  that  the 
almost  general  capitulation  of  magazines  and  news- 
papers, the  majority  of  which  now  present  fiction 
stories  simultaneously  with  their  release  from  the  stu- 
dios, has  not  affected  the  motion  picture  magazines 


of    Science 257 

in  the  least.  If  anything  is  to  be  noted  in  this  re- 
spect it  is  an  increase  in  public  interest  in  the 
latter. 


In  the  film  studio  the  director  and  the  scenario  edi- 
tor are  the  all-important  factors,  and  like  the  photo- 
players,  to  become  famous,  the  greater  number  of  di- 
rectors, to  achieve  renown,  have  not  had  notable  ca- 
reers as  stage  managers,  though  it  is  significant  that 
the  stock  company  of  the  type  in  vogue  between  sea- 
sons has  contributed  not  a  few  of  the  gentlemen  who 
are  to-day  doing  the  big  things  in  film  production. 

One  must  observe  the  frequency  of  the  Christian 
name  Lawrence  in  studio  activities.  At  the  moment 
the  following  come  to  my  mind:  Lawrence  McGill, 
Lawrence  MacCloskey,  Lawrence  (D.  W.)  Griffith, 
Laurence  Trimble,  Lawrence  Marston  and  Laurence 
Sayre,  and  these  represent  as  a  whole  much  of  the  ar- 
tistic development  of  the  photoplay.  This  is  so  true 
that  the  term  or  nickname  "Larry"  is  one  heard  in 
filmdom  at  every  turn. 

All  of  the  Proctor  stage  managers  of  the  period  when 
the  Proctor  stock  companies  were  famous,  are  firmly  en- 
trenched in  the  film  studios.  Barry  O'Neill  (Lubin) ; 
Lawrence  Marston  (Biograph) ;  Frederick  Thompson 
(Vitagraph),  and  Will  H.  Gregory  (Biograph)  are  all 
former  Proctor  stage  managers,  and  they  have  made 
their  impress  in  the  new  field  permanent  and  em- 
phatic. 

J.  Searle  Dawley  has  directed  the  majority  of  the 
notable  photoplay  productions  of  the  Famous  Play- 
ers' Film  Company.  Recently  the  writer  was  privi- 
leged to  witness  no  less  than  six  of  this  company's 


258 C6e   Cfteatte 

releases  in  as  many  days,  owing  to  the  enterprise  of 
Marcus  Loew  in  presenting  a  Famous  Players'  fes- 
tival. I  had  seen  three  of  the  six  productions  pre- 
viously, but  to  see  all  six  on  consecutive  days  was 
truly  a  treat.  The  impression  made  is  not  unlike  that 
of  the  old  days  when  plays  and  stars  were  changed 
almost  daily  in  the  South  and  West,  but  now  one  is 
privileged  to  compare  the  artistry  of  the  stars  on  the 
stage  with  that  of  the  drama  of  silence.  Therefore, 
I  was  emboldened  to  ask  Mr.  Dawley  for  an  expres- 
sion as  to  the  essence  of  this  new  art  of  which  he  is 
so  able  an  exponent. 

Herewith  is  presented  Mr.  Dawley's  response: 

"The  drama  of  silence  is  human  emotion  conveyed 
by  the  poetry  of  movement,  and  contains  three  es- 
sential arts — sculpture,  painting,  and  drama.  The  di- 
rector has  only  two  colors  on  his  palette — black  and 
white — to  paint  his  pictures  upon  his  canvas.  He 
must  carve  his  images  in  waves  of  light  and  present 
his  drama  in  silence.  Being  deprived  of  the  magic  of 
color,  the  bold  relief  of  the  marble  and  the  music  of 
sound,  necessarily  his  art  is  a  difficult  one. 

"The  art  of  the  drama  of  silence  is  movement 
prompted  by  emotions,  not  emotions  represented  by 
movement,  as  in  the  art  of  pantomime.  The  sequence 
of  events  and  method  of  constructing  a  story  give  us 
an  opportunity  to  eliminate  what  is  called  pantomime. 
An  actor  may  stand  motionless,  gazing  into  a  lighted 
window,  and  convey  to  the  mind  all  the  depths  of  love 
or  hate.  The  intelligence  of  his  position  is  carried  to 
the  spectator  by  what  has  gone  before  or  by  what  may 
come  afterwards. 

"It  is  the  sequence  of  movement  and  scenes  that 
is  really  the  essence  of  this  new  art.  Neither  is  it 


of    Science 259 

necessary  to  call  upon  the  actor  to  use  any  more  move- 
ment or  emotion  in  this  art  than  upon  the  dramatic 
stage ;  but  only  too  often  on  the  dramatic  stage  we  find 
the  actor  carried  away  by  the  magic  of  words  and 
the  sound  of  his  voice,  which  prevents  him  from  real- 
izing that  the  mind  should  be  telegraphing  its  feelings 
to  every  part  of  the  body. 

"I  am  glad  to  say  that  the  dramatic  stars  I  have 
had  the  pleasure  of  directing  have  at  once  caught  the 
wonderful  possibility  and  depth  of  this  new  art,  which 
is  bound  to  reach  a  far  higher  plane  than  it  occupies 
to-day,  and  also  be  a  great  benefit  to  the  dramatic 
stage,  if  for  no  other  reason  than  that  of  Bobby  Burns' 
wish — 'Oh,  wad  some  power  the  giftie  gie  us,  to  see 
ourselves  as  ithers  see  us.' 

"The  universal  appeal  which  the  drama  of  silence 
has  for  the  entire  world  lies  in  the  fact  that  each  audi- 
tor is  creating  his  own  emotions  and  language  for  the 
characters  before  him  on  the  canvas,  and  they  are  ac- 
cording to  his  own  mental  and  spiritual  standard. 
Therefore,  the  spectator  is  supplying  the  thoughts  and 
words  of  the  actor  and  becomes  a  part  of  the  perform- 
ance itself.  This,  I  fully  believe,  is  the  reason  for  the 
phenomenal  popularity  of  the  drama  of  silence  through- 
out the  world  to-day." 

The  part  that  the  novelist  is  to  play  in  the  future 
of  the  motion  picture  art  is  a  subject  that  one  may 
hear  discussed  in  editorial  sanctums  ever  since  the 
sensational  success  of  the  Selig  serial  "The  Adven- 
tures of  Kathlyn,"  which  has  awakened  the  publisher 
to  recognize  the  significance  of  a  new  and  powerful 
medium  wherein  the  novelist  may  now  address  an 
audience  so  vast  that  many  of  the  publishers  of  nation- 
al magazines,  so  reluctant  to  affiliate  with  the  film 


260  Cfte   COeatte 

producers  up  to  very  recently,  are  now  adopting  en- 
tirely new  policies  in  an  effort  to  compete  with  the 
big  city  Sunday  newspapers  which,  as  George  Cohan 
would  say,  have  "beat  the  magazines  to  it."  Harold 
MacGrath  has  been  overwhelmed  with  offers  from  film 
men  and  publishers  to  such  an  extent  that  he  has  been 
in  a  state  of  bewilderment  as  to  which  field  should 
best  justify  his  exclusive  attention,  for  it  is  obvious 
that  he  must  choose  between  the  two  if  for  no  other 
reason  than  that  the  trend  is  toward  serial  photo- 
plays of  such  length  that  the  twenty-seven-reel  pro- 
duction of  "Kathlyn"  a  year  hence  will  be  regarded 
as  the  product  of  a  primitive  era. 

The  writer  wished  to  obtain  an  expression  from  Mr. 
MacGrath  as  to  the  impression  the  "Kathlyn"  vogue 
had  made  upon  him  and  also  requested  his  views  on 
the  future  of  the  photoplay  and  its  influence  on  his 
own  calling.  I  quote  the  novelist  verbatim: 

"Yes,  I  am  at  work  on  another  thriller,  this  time  a 
mystery  yarn,  to  run  exactly  as  the  'Kathlyn'  series 
did.  I've  been  dumfounded  at  the  success  of  this 
sort  of  thing.  Half  the  continent  seems  to  have  gone 
crazy  over  the  idea  of  reading  a  chapter  in  the  news- 
paper and  then  going  to  the  'movies.' 

"The  possibilities  of  the  story  photoplay  cannot  be 
imagined  as  yet.  We  are  only  in  the  woods  now,  but 
it  is  my  belief  that  the  photoplay  will  eventually  act 
as  a  wonderful  educator.  People  with  only  five  or  ten 
cents  in  their  pockets  can  go  where  it  has  cost  me 
thousands  to  go — all  over  the  world.  They  will  be 
shown  beauty,  heroism  and  the  marvels  of  the  sea  and 
air. 

"In  this  'Kathlyn'  series  you  are  shown  Durbars, 
the  customs  of  India  and  wild  beasts — about  all  there 


o  £    Science 26i 

is  to  be  seen  in  the  Orient.  We  hope  each  time  to 
make  the  appeal  wider  and  stronger. 

"As  for  myself,  I  am  fascinated  with  the  work.  I 
reach  twenty  million  people  now,  whereas  with  books 
my  audience  was  perhaps  seventy  thousand.  In  Chi- 
cago they  have  'Kathlyn'  hats,  bon-bons  and  cock- 
tails. 

"All  I  am  waiting  for  is  our  friend  Edison  to  in- 
vent a  motionless  camera;  after  that  there  will  be 
nothing  left." 

Mr.  MacGrath's  views  are  particularly  apropos  at  a 
time  when  the  greatest  problem  confronting  the  larger 
producers  has  to  do  with  the  source  of  supply  which 
is  to  follow  the  present-day  custom  of  adapting  old 
stage  plays  to  the  screen.  The  success  attending  the 
operations  of  the  Bosworth  Film  Company,  which  has 
specialized  with  Jack  London's  stories,  such  as  "The 
Sea  Wolf,"  indicates  clearly  the  part  that  the  great 
novelists  are  due  to  play  in  the  future  of  the  photo- 
play. 

Charles  M.  Seay,  of  the  Edison  Company,  is  an- 
other one  of  those  experienced  stage  workers  who 
have  made  a  conquest  in  the  motion  picture  field.  In 
my  vaudeville  days  I  made  many  contracts  for  Mr. 
Seay,  in  which  he  was  always  accorded  "headline" 
honors.  After  five  years  in  the  "two-a-day,"  Mr.  Seay, 
like  so  many  other  present-day  photoplay  stars,  joined 
the  Proctor  Stock  Company,  where  for  four,  years  he 
played  the  principal  comedy  roles. 

And  then  Seay  lost  all  his  savings  with  a  moving 
picture  show,  but  he  was  reconciled  for  his  losses 
through  the  idea  that  the  new  style  of  entertainment 
was  bound  to  find  a  large  appeal  and  he  had  learned, 
with  his  own  show,  the  technical  side  of  picture  play- 


262 Cfre   Cfteatre 

making,  so  one  day,  just  five  years  ago,  Seay  wandered 
into  the  Edison  studio.  He  is  there  yet.  For  two 
years  he  acted  before  the  camera.  His  Mike  Flanni- 

ein  Ellis  Parker  Butler's  "Pigs  Is  Pigs,"  will  never 
Drgotten.  When  Seay  joined  the  Edison  Company 
it  had  only  three  professional  players  in  a  very  long 
cast.  To-day  the  stage  professionals  predominate,  and 
Seay  has  observed  with  no  little  resentment  the  spec- 
tacle of  the  theatrical  managers  and  producers  seek- 
ing a  share  of  the  film  prosperity,  for  he  recalls  how 
these  same  interests  were  unwilling  to  engage  an  actor 
who  played  for  the  pictures,  and  now,  after  they  have 
been  nearly  bankrupted  in  their  own  field,  they  are 
rushing  pell-mell  into  filmdom  as  if  they  were  the  orig- 
inal discoverers  of  a  new  Klondike. 

Mr.  Seay  told  the  writer  that  from  his  own  obser- 
vations he  believed  the  photoplays  were  developing 
a  technic  superior  to  that  of  the  stage,  because  of  the 
insistent  demand  for  naturalism.  As  a  director  he 
has  been  uncompromising  on  the  elimination  of  the- 
atrical effects.  What  he  says  about  the  superior  tech- 
nic is  best  confirmed  by  Charles  Frohman's  official 
announcement  that  next  season  he  will  compete  with 
the  photoplay  by  presenting  spoken  plays,  so  that  they 
will  "go  over"  in  true  "movie"  style. 

It  requires  just  such  an  experienced  actor  and  show- 
man as  Charles  M.  Seay  to  fearlessly  express  the  true- 
isms  of  the  present  situation  in  the  amusement  field. 

"Out  of  the  present  scramble  of  the  'new'  discov- 
erers of  motion  pictures,"  says  Mr.  Seay,  "who  are 
trying  to  start  the  same  upheaval  in  the  new  field  that 
ended  their  usefulness  in  the  older  one,  there  may  arise 
one  or  two  who  may  join  in  the  effort  to  establish 
high  ideals,  but  these  men  are  after  some  quickly 


tit    Science 263 

earned  money  and  they  will  evacuate  in  short  order, 
and  then  men  like  the  wizard  of  Menlo  Park,  who 
probably  foresee  the  collapse  of  the  stage  producers' 
movement,  will  go  right  back  where  they  were  be- 
fore the  'old-time  showman'  capitulated." 

And  Mr.  Seay  knows  whereof  he  speaks,  in  the  opin- 
ion of  the  present  writer.  The  future  of  the  motion 
picture  art  will  depend  on  the  Seligs,  the  Blacktons, 
the  Zukors,  the  Laemmles,  the  Baumanns  and  Kes- 
sels,  and  their  kind.  To  these  may  possibly  be  added, 
as  Mr.  Seay  so  aptly  says,  one  or  two  of  the  newcom- 
ers, but  up  to  the  present  writing  I  could  not  predict 
even  one  permanent  acquisition  to  the  established  film 
interests.  Besides,  such  producers  as  Selig,  Pathe, 
Lubin,  Kalem,  Spoor  and  Anderson,  Hite,  Aitken,  and 
a  half-dozen  men  of  similar  calibre,  are  not  seemingly 
attracted  to  the  stage  play  movement;  at  least,  not 
in  the  manner  to  which  theatrical  producers  are  adapt- 
ing plays  to  the  screen,  regardless  of  suitability. 

And  when  the  public  indicates  a  craving  for  real 
novelty,  the  supply  will  come  from  the  studios  where 
the  greatest  problems  of  photoplay  production  were 
first  solved. 

Bessie  Learn,  also  of  the  Edison  Company,  began 
her  stage  career  when  a  small  child,  in  "Hearts  Are 
Trumps,"  effecting  her  debut  in  a  baby  carriage. 
Later,  appearing  in  "Lover's  Lane,"  "Home  Folks" 
and  "A  Midsummer-Night's  Dream,"  I  recall  her 
splendid  performance  with  Robert  Hilliard  in  "The 
Littlest  Girl,"  in  vaudeville,  and  just  before  joining 
the  Edisons,  in  "Polly  of  the  Circus."  Miss  Learn  has 
scored  in  photoplays  because  of  the  sincerity  with 
which  she  embraces  her  work,  and  this  is  true  of  so 
many  of  the  Edison  players  that  one  may  comprehend 


264  C6e   Cfieatre 


why  Mr.  Plimpton,  the  Edison  artistic  head,  prefers 
to  develop  promising  talent  instead  of  engaging  celeb- 
rities, though  in  the  Edison  organization  to-day  there 
are  a  number  of  the  most  experienced  players  of  the 
stage  calling.  All  of  these,  however,  revealed  from 
the  outset  adaptability  to  studio  requirements.  Rob- 
ert Brower  has  been  with  the  Edisons  since  the  in- 
auguration of  the  photoplay  era.  Dan  Mason  had  been 
a  star  on  the  legitimate  and  vaudeville  stage  for  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  but  he  has  never  played 
any  part  in  all  his  career  with  more  unction  and  nat- 
uralism than  was  revealed  in  his  portrayal  of  the  min- 
ister in  "Why  Girls  Leave  Home."  The  latter  may 
be  set  down  as  one  of  the  most  compelling  and  laugh- 
ter-provoking film  comedies  up  to  this  date,  ranking 
next  to  the  Vitagraph's  excrutiatingly  funny  "Good- 
ness Gracious."  The  vogue  of  such  comedies,  of  which 
there  are  too  few  unfortunately,  may  best  be  compre- 
hended when  it  is  stated  that  the  Edison  two-reeler, 
though  one  of  the  first  photoplays  released  by  the  com- 
pany, is  in  demand  by  exhibitors  to-day  all  over  the 
country. 

The  greatest  problem  the  film  producer  has  had  to 
contend  with  has  been  in  the  effort  to  evolve  clean  and 
laugh-compelling  comedies,  and  the  Edison  organiza- 
tion throughout  has  been  equipped  to  meet  this  prob- 
lem. This  was  never  so  apparent  as  when  Robertson's 
delicious  "Caste"  was  condensed  into  a  forty-minute 
picture  comedy,  with  all  of  the  important  characters 
concretely  drawn  and  with  fewer  inserts  and  subtitles 
than  the  average  one-reeler  has  usually  required.  In 
this  noteworthy  production  Mabel  Trunnelle,  a  dainty 
and  artistic  player  of  marked  versatility,  gave  to  the 


of    Science 265 

role  of  Polly  a  new  conception,  yet  retaining  all  of  the 
Robertsonian  portraiture. 

Mabel  Trunnelle  has  been  with  many  film  companies 
but  has  never  had  in  these  the  opportunity  that  is 
meted  out  to  her  in  the  Edison  environment.  The 
"lady  dainty"  was,  indeed,  missed  from  the  Edison 
ranks  during  her  wanderings  in  filmdom,  but  her  re- 
turn to  the  Bronx  studio  was  quickly  productive,  par- 
ticularly in  the  comedy  output. 

The  Eccles  of  William  West,  while  somewhat 
handicapped  in  the  condensation  of  so  vital  a  charac- 
ter, was  nevertheless  a  splendid  illustration  of  the  de- 
velopment of  the  new  art,  for  if  there  was  one  great 
asset  for  the  actor  portraying  Eccles  it  was  Robert- 
son's beautiful  text,  yet  so  well  was  "Caste"  conceived 
and  presented  on  the  screen  that  even  with  a  vivid 
memory  of  such  Eccles  as  F.  F.  Mackay  (who  played 
the  part  under  the  writer's  management  thirty- 
five  years  ago)  and  Harry  Becket,  who  played  the  role 
in  the  Wallackian  production  in  1882,  the  perform- 
ance of  Mr.  West  lost  little  by  comparison.  This  is 
high  praise,  perhaps,  but  the  entire  film  production  was 
a  remarkable  one,  reflecting  great  credit  on  the  direc- 
tor and  particularly  on  the  scenario  writer,  whose 
name  unfortunately  was  not  made  public. 

Ethel  Clayton,  now  playing  "leads"  in  the  Lubin 
Company,  graduated  from  St.  Elizabeth's  Convent, 
where  she  received  her  first  dramatic  instruction  from 
the  nuns.  Her  debut  on  the  stage  was  effected  with 
the  Frawley  Stock  Company,  where  she  began  in  a 
small  way  and  finished,  after  two  years,  as  the  leading 
lady. 

Miss  Clayton  is  a  recent  acquisition  to  the  Lubin 
Company,  where  she  has  appeared  in  productions  di- 


266 Cfie  CSeatte 

rected  by  Barry  O'Neill,  who  also  had  been  the  stage 
manager  of  a  stock  company  in  which  she  had  gained 
a  large  measure  of  her  stage  experience. 

In  the  Lubin  release,  "When  the  Earth  Trembled," 
which  was  the  first  three-reel  photoplay  produced  by 
the  Philadelphia  organization,  Miss  Clayton  nearly 
lost  her  life  in  an  accident  in  the  earthquake  scene, 
but  such  catastrophes  are  by  no  means  uncommon 
these  days,  when  the  directors  of  the  Barry  O'Neill 
type  stop  at  nothing  to  achieve  their  aims  in  realism, 
and  the  manner  in  which  the  one-time  timid  stage  folk 
accept  their  fate  appears  to  be  but  an  expression  of 
appreciation  of  what  the  newer  art  has  accomplished 
for  those  long  identified  with  the  vicissitudes  of  a  pre- 
carious stage  era. 

The  writer  is  not  assuming  that  Mr.  O'Neill  is  re- 
sponsible for  Miss  Clayton's  accident;  merely  wishing 
to  indicate  that  the  effort  to  achieve  realistic  effects 
may  be  carried  too  far. 

Miss  Clayton  now  is  cast  almost  exclusively  for  the 
leading  roles  in  the  picturized  versions  of  stage  plays 
such  as  "The  Lion  and  the  Mouse,"  "The  Gamblers," 
"The  Wolf,"  and  "The  Sporting  Duchess." 

John  Ince,  also  of  the  Lubin  Company,  like  his  broth- 
ers, Thomas  and  Ralph,  is  achieving  renown  as  a  di- 
rector, though  he  is  wont  to  pose  far  more  frequently 
before  the  camera;  in  fact,  John  Ince  has  made  his 
impress  as  a  photoplayer  so  positive  that  it  is  hoped 
he  will  not  emulate  his  brothers  by  gradually  confin- 
ing his  activities  to  directing,  but  the  financial  reward 
meted  out  to  an  expert  director  has  been,  up  to  now, 
far  greater  than  to  the  player,  yet  in  the  last  year  the 
number  of  photoplayers  to  receive  weekly  salaries  in 
excess  of  $200  has  increased  greatly.  Aside  from  the 


JOHN  E.  INCE 

(Lubin) 


FORD  STERLING 

Universal  Comedian 


ARTHUR  JOHNSON 

(Lubin) 


HARRY  C.  MYERS 

(Lubin) 


Four  Former  Stage  Players  Who  Found  Fame  and  Fortune  in  the  Theatre  of  Science 


of    Science 267 

three  directors  reputed  to  earn  in  excess  of  $50,000 
annually  (Messrs.  Ince,  Griffith  and  Mack  Sennett,  all 
with  the  Mutual  brand  of  films),  the  average  compen- 
sation for  the  director  is  vastly  larger  than  that  ac- 
corded to  the  best  stage  managers  in  this  country. 

Many  directors  are  paid  $250  a  week  throughout 
the  entire  year,  and  the  demand  for  experts  is  so  great 
that  there  is  every  indication  that  the  average  salary 
will  continue  to  increase.  Not  a  few  directors  are  at- 
tracting the  attention  of  capitalists,  bent  upon  invest- 
ment on  the  producing  side  of  the  industry;  others 
have  already  embarked  in  the  producing  field,  and  the 
vacancies  thus  created  can  only  be  filled  by  holding 
out  inducements.  The  Famous  Players'  Film  Com- 
pany must  needs  add  to  its  directing  force  immeas- 
urably in  the  next  year,  controlling,  as  it  does,  practi- 
cally seventy-five  per  cent,  of  the  best  plays  produced 
in  Broadway  theatres  during  the  last  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury. 

These  directors  are  likely  to  become  a  powerful  in- 
fluence in  the  amusement  world.  If  the  income  of 
some  of  the  most  successful  ones  is  not  exaggerated, 
and  the  writer  is  inclined  to  believe  the  figures  are 
correct,  then  such  of  these  as  are  named  above  must 
be  accumulating  fortunes  as  great  as  any  the  amuse- 
ment field  has  ever  recorded ;  besides,  as  Griffith,  Ince 
and  Mack  Sennett  hold  stock  in  big  dividend-paying 
companies,  their  future  is  assured  far  beyond  the  limi- 
tations of  a  salaried  director. 

Ince  is  investing  already  in  big  undertakings,  and 
it  is  authoritatively  stated  that  he  at  least  aspires  to 
produce  for  the  speaking  stage.  Whether  this  aspira- 
tion is  meant  as  a  reprisal  for  the  onrush  of  theatrical 
producers  into  filmdom,  I  cannot  say,  but  it  is  sure 


268 C&e   Cfreatte 

that  Thomas  Ince  and  William  L.  Clifford  (one  of  the 
Mutual  Company's  scenario  experts,  and  a  director  and 
author  as  well)  have  written  a  four-act  drama,  mod- 
ern in  theme,  which  is  to  be  presented  in  New  York 
City,  if  the  Los  Angeles  trial  production  at  the  Ma- 
jestic Theatre  is  triumphant. 

The  combination  of  Ince  and  Clifford,  with  Charles 
Baumann  as  financial  sponsor  for  an  important  stage 
production,  has  been  widely  discussed  in  film  and  stage 
circles,  and  the  outcome  will  be  known  long  before 
this  volume  is  published ;  in  fact,  the  writer  is  inclined 
to  the  belief  that  the  next  theatrical  season  will  re- 
veal many  similar  efforts  of  photoplay  producers,  au- 
thors and  players,  with  plans  more  or  less  elaborate 
to  compete  with  those  gentlemen  who  have  finally 
recognized  the  status  of  the  motion  picture  and  are 
now  producing  for  stage  and  screen  alike.  I  have  heard 
a  persistent  rumor  that  Oliver  Morosco  is  interested 
in  one  forthcoming  production  of  a  high-grade  melo- 
drama, written  and  directed  by  a  screen  star,  in  which 
the  latter  is  financially  interested  and  for  which  a  cast, 
composed  exclusively  of  photoplayers,  is  being  re- 
cruited. Just  as  this  volume  goes  to  press  it  is  an- 
nounced that  Al.  H.  Woods  has  purchased  an  interest 
in  the  Ince-Clifford  play  and  will  produce  it  at  the 
Eltinge  Theatre  in  New  York. 

Russell  Bassett,  of  the  Nestor  Film  Company,  had 
been  on  the  stage  for  well-nigh  half  a  century  before 
he  was  lured  into  the  film  studio.  Though  his  career 
has  recorded  many  notable  successes,  and  at  least  two 
stellar  achievements,  Bassett  will  be  remembered  most 
for  his  truthful  portrayals  of  the  Jew  in  "The  World," 
and  "The  Black  Flag." 

The  greater  portion  of  Bassett's  film  career  has  been 


of    Science  269 

spent  with  the  Nestor  Company.  Originally  con- 
ceived by  David  Horsley,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the 
film  industry  and  a  man  whose  influence  is  still  potent, 
though  Horsley  was  induced  to  part  with  his  stock 
in  the  Universal  Film  Company  a  year  ago,  receiving 
for  the  same  a  fabulous  sum.  The  Nestor  Company 
to-day  represents  no  more  and  no  less  than  Horsley 
made  it  during  those  years  when  the  independent  film 
producer  had  a  hard  road  to  travel. 

Horsley  is  regarded  in  the  motion  picture  world  as 
an  all-round  studio  expert,  and  unless  I  am  mistaken, 
is  still  a  valuable  aid  to  Carl  Laemmle  in  various  ex- 
pansion plans,  though  his  interests  now  are  extensive 
in  other  phases  of  the  industry. 

But  to  return  to  Bassett,  who  is  affectionately 
known  as  "Pop"  in  the  big  film  centre  around  Los 
Angeles.  Although  he  is  approaching  the  seventies 
of  life's  allotment  to  man,  it  is  an  amazing  fact  that, 
unlike  most  of  his  younger  colleagues,  who  perform 
in  like  capacity,  Bassett  acts  in  more  productions  now 
than  at  any  period  in  his  film  career. 

Ramona  Langley,  also  of  the  Nestor  Company,  is 
one  more  of  those  youthful  women  who  entered  the 
film  studio  unknown  and  with  no  stage  experience 
have  become  in  short  order  stellar  attractions.  More- 
over, Miss  Langley  has  had  less  than  two  years'  ex- 
perience as  a  photoplayer,  and  almost  from  the  outset 
was  accorded  important  roles.  Though  an  extremely 
beautiful  woman  of  Mexican  ancestry,  her  personality 
was  just  the  sort  the  photoplay  director  is  persistently 
craving  for.  It  is  hard  to  believe  this  lady  was  never 
an  actress  on  the  stage,  but  her  success  goes  far  to 
confirm  the  theory  of  D.  W.  Griffith  and  kindred  au- 
thorities that  the  most  desirable  photoplayers  are  those 


270 Cfte   Cfteatre 

who  come  to  the  studios  to  acquire  the  technic  of  the 
new  art,  rather  than  those  who  come  to  bestow  of  their 
greatness. 

In  view  of  Miss  Langley's  meteoric  career  as  a 
screen  star  and  what  the  future  has  held  out  for  her, 
it  is,  indeed,  to  be  deplored  that  the  striving  for  real- 
ism and  the  never-failing  loyalty  of  the  player  to  the 
directors'  demand  for  realism,  have  combined  to  prob- 
ably incapacitate  this  charming  woman  for  her  future 
artistic  career,  for  at  the  time  of  this  writing  Miss 
Langley*  has  been  removed  to  a  sanitarium  in  Los  An- 
geles, where  I  am  informed  she  is  destined  to  remain 
a  cripple  for  life.  Will  not  the  daring  directors  pon- 
der over  this  aftermath — now  of  frequent  record — per- 
haps easily  avoided,  too? 


*  Miss  Langley  has  since  recovered. 


c  f  e  n  c  e  271 


CHAPTER  XIII 

Despite  the  apparently  official  announcement  that 
the  new  Candler  Theatre,  dedicated  May  7,  1914,  is  to 
be  regularly  operated  as  a  legitimate  playhouse,  it  is 
fair  to  state  here  that  the  enterprise  is  the  natural 
aftermath  of  the  remarkable  success  attending  the 
Cines  -  Kleine  production  of  the  photoplay,  "Quo 
Vadis?"  which  exerted  a  greater  influence  in  creating 
the  present-day  plethora  of  stage  plays  on  the  screen 
than  any  individual  achievement  of  the  camera  man  to 
this  day.  Yet  "Quo  Vadis?"  singularly  is  the  one  erst- 
while stage  success  to  completely  eclipse  as  a  photo- 
play its  theatrical  vogue. 

Although  "Quo  Vadis?"  brought  George  Kleine  into 
the  limelight  with  an  impetus  unprecedented  in  amuse- 
ment history,  his  influence  in  the  film  industry  had 
been  recognized  long  before  the  era  of  photoplays  was 
inaugurated,  and  he  has  always  been  insistent  and  un- 
compromising in  his  policies — never  indicating  in  the 
least  a  desire  to  invest  his  capital  in  other  than  film 
enterprises.  Yet,  as  is  stated  elsewhere  in  the  volume, 
it  would  not  be  surprising — even  in  the  near  future — 
if  the  George  Kleine  type  of  film  magnate  were  to  un- 


272 cfte   Cfteatre 

dertake  to  solve  a  problem  in  the  field  of  the  theatre 
that  has  never  attracted  the  interest  of  stage  producers 
and  theatrical  managers  to  the  extent  conditions  war- 
ranted. 

This  problem  has  to  do  with  the  effort  to  induce  the 
tremendous  public  now  patronizing  photoplays  to  at 
least  divide  their  patronage  between  stage  and  screen 
productions,  a  rather  vital  matter  fully  dealt  with  in 
another  chapter. 

The  new  Candler  Theatre  was  conceived  by  George 
Kleine,  who  owns  60  per  cent,  of  the  stock;  20  per 
cent,  is  owned  by  Samuel  H.  Harris,  who  had  an  in- 
terest in  "Quo  Vadis?"  through  an  arrangement  with 
Mr.  Kleine  to  look  after  the  bookings  in  first-class  the- 
atres, which  yielded  the  firm  of  Cohan  &  Harris  a 
handsome  profit.  The  other  20  per  cent,  of  the  stock 
is  held  by  Sol  Bloom,  one-time  music  publisher  and 
present-day  phonograph  king,  who  has  had  a  habit  of 
"wishing  himself  in"  on  amusement  enterprises  with 
a  resultant  increase  in  his  bank  account. 

To  the  writer,  Mr.  Kleine,  who  is  conservative  in  his 
utterances,  recently  expressed  himself  thus: 

"It  is  our  policy  to  place  important  feature  films  in 
the  new  Candler  Theatre,  but  being  conservative  busi- 
ness men,  we  constructed  a  playhouse  thoroughly  mod- 
ern and  so  equipped — particularly  back  of  the  curtain 
— that  in  any  emergency  we  could  present  drama  or 
comedy  and  kindred  stage  productions. 

"Having  built  a  theatre  of  this  nature,"  continued 
Mr.  Kleine,  "and  upon  very  valuable  ground,  it  was 
thought  advisable  to  remove  the  impression  that  the 
theatre  was  constructed  like  ordinary  moving-picture 
houses;  this  will  explain  the  announcements  of  our 
Eastern  publicity  heads." 


m 


SARAH  BERNHARDT  IN  "  ELIZABETH ' 
(Famous  Players  Co.) 


'QUOVADIS"— PETRONIUS  OFFERS  TO  CALM  THE  RIOTOUS  POPULACE 

Scene  from  photoplay  that  has  made  a  fortune  for  half  a  dozen  men 


o  {    defence 273 

But  when  I  was  privileged  to  enter  this  sumptuous 
playhouse  immediately  adjoining  "the  Theatre  Beauti- 
ful" (as  the  New  Amsterdam  is  aptly  named),  I  could 
thoroughly  comprehend  the  reluctancy  of  Mr.  Kleine's 
associates,  who  are  allied  with  the  Klaw-Erlanger- 
Frohman  interests,  to  yield  this  gem  of  a  theatre  to 
the  camera  man  exclusively.  It  is  no  reflection  on  the 
merits  of  the  Kleine-Cines  massive  production  of  "An- 
tony and  Cleopatra"  to  state  that  for  the  intelligent  au- 
dience at  the  premiere  the  playhouse  itself  was  the 
greater  attraction. 

The  week  of  May  4,  1914,  was  indeed  a  red-letter 
period  in  film  progress,  from  the  standpoint  of  massive 
and  important  productivity. 

During  that  week  also  besides  the  regular  photoplay 
houses,  such  as  the  Loew,  Fox,  Proctor,  and  Rosenberg 
theatres,  the  so-called  playhouse  zone  of  the  Metropo- 
lis presented  an  amazing  spectacle  in  that  of  the  usual 
two-dollar-a-seat  houses  the  great  majority  were  de- 
voted to  photoplays,  or  what  is  soon  to  become  more 
vital — motion-picture  productions. 

Starting  at  Forty-second  Street,  the  Lyric,  the  Re- 
public, and  the  new  Candler,  all  within  a  few  yards  of 
each  other,  were  presenting  feature  films  "up  for  a 
run,"  while  on  "The  Great  White  Way,"  the  one-time 
Criterion,  the  New  York,  the  Globe,  and  the  Strand 
were  seemingly  immune  from  any  ill  effect  of  their 
close  proximity  to  each  other.  Here  was  revealed 
seven  of  New  York's  first-class  theatres  within  a  ra- 
dius of  five  blocks  with  a  combined  seating  capacity  of 
11,000,  and  "capacity"  business  twice  daily  in  four  out 
of  the  seven,  while  on  Saturday  and  Sunday,  May  9 
and  10,  investigation  shows  a  total  in  excess  of  60,00ft 


274  C6e   C&eatte 

persons  paying  for  admission  to  these  seven  theatres 
in  the  "Long  Acre"  district. 

In  that  same  week  (May  4-11)  not  a  single  new 
stage  production  was  offered,  but  besides  the  maze  of 
film  productions  regularly  released  there  was  pro- 
duced within  those  six  days  "The  Sea  Wolf"  (Strand), 
"The  Lightning  Conductor"  (Comedy),  "Antony  and 
Cleopatra"  (Candler),  and — if  ever  the  much-abused 
"AND"  was  needed  to  emphasize  the  relative  impor- 
tance of  one  offering,  this  is  the  time — the  IT  ALA 
Company's  unparalleled  production  of  "Cabiria,"  in  the 
ballroom  of  the  Hotel  Astor  at  3  p.  m.  on  Saturday, 
May  9,  1914. 

That  Augustus  Thomas  was  asked  to  address  the 
audience — an  audience  such  as  would  attend  a  Caruso 
matinee — to  better  prepare  it  for  what  was  to  come 
must  have  been  due  to  the  famous  playwright's  appre- 
ciation of  what  "Cabiria"  would  do  for  the  future  of  a 
new  art,  never  so  apparently  in  its  infancy  as  at  the 
close  of  the  150  minutes  of  perfect  projection,  during 
-which  blase  playgoers  and  seasoned  first-nighters  sat 
or  stood  in  absolute  bewilderment.  Yes,  Augustus 
Thomas  knew  what  this  "Cabiria"  revelation  meant, 
even  to  such  as  he. 

There  is  no  intention  in  this  volume  to  review  the 
production ;  the  writer  is  not  a  critic,  and  is  content  to 
1  leave  the  selection  of  adjectives  to  the  Alan  Dales  and 
the  Acton  Davies,  of  newspaperdom ;  but  such  a  pro- 
duction as  "Cabiria"  can  only  be  equalled  by  Ameri- 
can manufacturers  of  film  when  they  are  as  firmly  in- 
trenched in  studios  abroad  as  are  the  Itala  and  Cines 
companies  of  Italy.  Moreover,  the  hundreds  of  scenes 
were  revealed  as  if  each  had  its  own  director  and  as  if 


of    Science  275 

the  state  banks  of  Italy  were  financing  the  production 
to  preserve  the  pictorial  records  of  ancient  punic  wars. 

I  looked  for  David  Belasco  in  vain;  even  Daniel 
Frohman,  who  attends  all  the  film  premieres,  was  not 
in  evidence,  but  a  score  or  more  of  the  best  minds  as- 
sociated with  the  theatre  were  as  one  in  hailing  the 
ITALA  masterpiece  as  indeed  "the  last  word  in  mov- 
ing pictures." 

As  for  myself,  perhaps  the  best  way  to  describe  the 
impression  "Cabiria"  made  is  to  merely  state  that  im- 
mediately after  the  matinee,  which  ended  as  late  as 
5 :40  p.  m.,  I  went  straight  to  the  office  of  a  friend  and 
wrote  a  letter  to  Otto  H.  Kahn,  asking  him  to  see  this 
production,  if  he  was  not  represented  at  the  Astor 
showing,  with  a  view  to  its  presentation  on  the  screen 
at  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House,  where,  with  the  en- 
vironment it  is  justly  entitled  to  and  the  musical  set- 
ting such  as  an  Otto  Kahn  can  influence,  "Cabiria" 
would  remove  the  last  barrier  which  yet  distinguishes 
the  two-dollar-a-seat  play  production  from  that  of  the 
film  studio.  In  June,  1914,  "Cabiria"  was  regularly 
presented  at  the  Knickerbocker  Theatre,  where  it 
scored  a  sensational  triumph. 

The  production  of  "Neptune's  Daughter,"  by  the 
Universal  Film  Company,  was  regarded  with  much  in- 
terest by  competing  producers.  At  the  premiere  at  the 
Globe  Theatre  this  was  evidenced  by  the  close  atten- 
tion which  a  score  or  more  of  the  most  prominent  the- 
atrical and  film  producers  gave  for  nearly  three  hours, 
despite  the  inaugural  presentation  was  by  no  means 
free  from  flaws.  The  many  "waits"  and  interruptions, 
due  to  lack  of  preliminary  tests,  were  accepted  with 
a  patience  rarely  on  view  when  a  spoken  play  is  passed 
upon  by  the  so-called  "death  watch." 


276 C6e   C&eatte 

In  that  audience  there  were,  besides  the  gentlemen 
who  cater  to  the  public's  entertainment,  a  number  of 
old-timers,  now  inactive,  who  had  come  hither  to  ob- 
serve the  reception  accorded  to  a  production  conceived 
by  a  real  photoplaywright,  yet  of  a  type  wholly  aban- 
doned by  the  stage  producer ;  therefore,  on  the  outcome 
of  this  effort  depended  the  future  attitude  of  the  large 
producing  organizations  toward  the  fantasy,  the  fairy 
play  and  the  dear  old  tales  that  were  wont  to  delight 
old  and  young  folks  alike  in  other  days. 

"Neptune's  Daughter"  was  originally  written  as  a 
musical  fantasia  in  three  acts  by  Captain  Leslie  T.  Pea- 
cocke.  This  was  submitted  by  him  to  Annette  Keller- 
mann  in  Paris,  where  the  famous  diver  was  creating  a 
furore  with  her  dancing  as  well  as  with  her  familiar1 
diving  feats. 

Miss  Kellermann  was  so  enthused  over  the  idea  that 
she  came  to  America  at  once,  bent  upon  producing 
"The  Mermaid"  (as  the  piece  was  first  called)  herself 
if  she  could  not  interest  the  theatrical  powers.  Yet, 
despite  that  Miss  Kellermann  had  demonstrated  at 
the  Winter  Garden  that  she  was  something  more  than 
a  diver,  there  was  no  immediate  prospect  for  securing 
bookings;  but  Captain  Peacocke  came  to  the  rescue. 
The  latter  was  writing  "feature"  scenarios  for  the  Uni- 
versal and  his  record  of  337  produced  and  released 
productions  sufficed  to  influence  Carl  Laemmle.  Con- 
tracts were  signed  and  Herbert  Brenon  was  selected 
to  produce  and  direct  a  newly  prepared  version  of  the 
fantasia  now  called  "Neptune's  Daughter." 

To  Bermuda  Miss  Kellermann  and  Mr.  Brenon,  ac- 
companied by  players,  mechanics  and  camera  men,  pro- 
ceeded  at  once,  and  as  evidence  of  the  way  the  modern 
film  magnate  does  things,  Mr.  Brenon  informed  me 


of    Science 217 

that  before  leaving  New  York  he  was  given  letters  of 
credit,  with  authority  to  spend  $40,000  if  necessary  in 
"evolving  the  greatest  aquatic  spectacle  of  all  time." 

Incidentally  it  should  be  stated  that  both  Miss  Kel- 
lermann  and  Mr.  Brenon  nearly  lost  their  lives  through 
the  bursting  of  the  tank  used  for  the  scenes  taken  many 
feet  under  the  water.  Miss  Kellermann's  injuries  were 
less  serious  than  Brenon's;  the  latter  was  in  a  Ber- 
muda hospital  for  several  months  and  has  not  yet  fully 
recovered. 

"Neptune's  Daughter,"  as  produced  by  the  Univer- 
sal Company,  will  have  a  greater  influence  in  hastening 
the  day  when  stage  plays  will  lose  their  appeal  than 
any  series  of  pictures  released  up  to  this  time,  because 
the  producer  will  realize  how  vast  is  his  opportunity 
in  virgin  fields  and  how  great  is  the  public  response 
for  a  real  motion-picture  production,  for  this  is  precise- 
ly what  "Neptune's  Daughter"  is;  surely  it  is  not  a 
photoplay. 

I  have  seen  "Neptune's  Daughter"  three  times, 
twice  in  the  afternoon  and  once  at  night.  The  capacity 
of  the  Globe  Theatre  was  tested  at  each  visit,  and  even 
at  night  the  audience  was  largely  composed  of  women 
and  children,  and  the  spectacle  of  Miss  Kellermann  re- 
vealed as  God  made  her,  in  the  transformation  from 
mortal  to  immortal  and  vice  versa,  actually  drew  forth 
applause  with  not  the  least  indication  of  the  sensation- 
al effect  which  a  theatrical  producer  might  have  wished 
to  invest  the  scene  with. 

That  this  "study  in  the  nude"  has  caused  not  a  rip- 
ple of  excitement  and  has  been  regarded  with  equa- 
nimity by  the  censors  and  other  authorities  is  but  a 
tribute  to  Kellermann,  the  artiste  and  woman  alike  Of 
course,  the  spectacle  presented  otherwise  would  have 


278 Cfte   Cfteatte 

been  wholly  incongruous;  nevertheless,  the  achieve- 
ment was  a  triple  triumph  for  the  director,  the  author 
and  the  star. 

But  the  success  of  "Neptune's  Daughter"  was  due 
more  to  Miss  Kellermann's  demonstration  of  dramatic 
ability  than  to  any  other  individual  phase  of  the  pro- 
duction.  Here  we  have  once  more  an  illustration  of 
what  the  new  art  may  reveal  in  a  heretofore  inexperi- 
enced actress.  Mr.  Brenon  told  the  writer  that  he 
regarded  Miss  Kellerman  as  the  equal  of  any  motion- 
picture  actress  of  this  period.  In  this  view  the  Uni- 
versal's  gifted  director  is  endorsed  by  practically  every 
New  York  critic. 

It  will  be  interesting,  indeed,  to  observe  the  future 
activities  of  the  three  principal  figures  in  this  epochal 
film  achievement.  Mr.  Peacocke  is  already  at  work 
on  other  fantasia  for  the  screen  and  is  also  preparing 
"Neptune's  Daughter"  for  the  stage.  Miss  Kellermann 
has  publicly  stated  that  she  is  averse  to  resuming  her 
vaudeville  career,  a  rather  modest  expression,  in  view 
of  the  known  fact  that  a  half  dozen  at  least  of  the 
stage  producers  are  importuning  her  to  "star"  in  the 
"two-dollar"  houses.  Loie  Fuller's  remarkable  versa- 
tility established  her  fame  as  "the  wonder  girl";  now 
the  appellation  applies  to  the  one-time  diver,  now  ac- 
cepted as  a  truly  great  artiste  in  all  the  term  implies. 
That  stage  folk  are  not  wholly  lacking  in  conception 
of  the  best  use  the  motion-picture  art  can  be  utilized 
for  was  never  so  apparent  as  in  the  successful  effort 
to  picturize  C.  N.  and  A.  M.  Williamson's  motor  car 
romance  entitled  "The  Lightning  Conductor,"  present- 
ed before  invited  guests  at  the  Comedy  Theatre,  New 
York,  May  7,  1914. 

The  circumstances  through  which  this  splendid  film 


t»f    Science  279 

production  was  evolved  alone  showed  a  fine  discern- 
ment on  the  part  of  a  half  dozen  principals,  who  banded 
together  for  a  pleasure  trip  during  their  vacation  pe- 
riod, with  the  idea  that  perhaps  the  outcome  of  the 
whole  scheme  might  result  in  a  six  weeks'  recreation 
without  expense. 

William  Elliott  wanted  and  needed  a  vacation.  So 
did  Dustin  Farnum.  The  latter  was  already  an  en- 
thusiast on  motion  pictures,  and  associated  with  the 
two  was  Walter  Hale,  a  master  hand  of  filmcraft. 
Helen  Bertram  was  going  abroad  with  a  half  dozen 
pupils  to  place  them  in  conservatories;  her  daughter 
Rosina  Henley  also  went  along.  George  C.  Tyler  was 
going  across,  as  usual,  for  an  automobile  tour  of  the 
Continent.  All  of  these  ladies  and  gentlemen  were  in- 
timate friends.  Tyler  told  Miss  Bertram  of  the  Elliott- 
Farnum-Hale  entourage,  and  suggested  that  there 
would  be  a  lot  of  fun — 5,000  miles  of  motoring  and  a 
little  spending  money  as  compensation  for  the  bit  of 
camera  acting  required.  Miss  Bertram  accepted  with 
alacrity;  besides  her  daughter,  Rosina,  some  of  the 
pupils  went  along  to  fill  out  the  cast. 

Well,  these  lines  are  being  written  the  day  after  the 
Comedy  Theatre  showing;  hence  it  is  not  possible  at 
this  time  to  state  what  measure  of  success  will  be 
meted  out  to  Mr.  Elliott  and  his  colleagues  in  the  in- 
teresting undertaking,  but  here  was  an  effort  to  utilize 
an  automobile  romance  in  order  to  present  a  series 
of  remarkable  motion  pictures,  in  which  the  acting 
of  the  principals  was  of  a  decidedly  lesser  consequence 
and  here  was  an  audience  having  the  time  of  its  life, 
fairly  reveling  in  a  perfectly  bewildering  maze  of  scenic 
beauty  with  just  enough  of  the  "thriller"  to  provide 


280 cfte   Cfteane 

the  suspense  that  a  Walter  Hale  knows  so  well  must 
not  be  lacking. 

"The  Lightning  Conductor"  presents  an  endless  ar- 
ray of  picturesque  scenes,  such  as  in  the  early  days 
of  the  Biograph  were  regarded  as  one  of  the  great  pos- 
sibilities of  this  century.  If,  as  seems  quite  likely,  this 
undertaking  yields  large  profits,  its  influence  will  be 
beyond  calculation.  For  the  present  it  is  enough  to 
know  that  Messrs.  Elliott,  Hale  and  Farnum  have  en- 
tered the  producing  field  of  moving  pictures,  with  a 
complete  grasp  of  the  pictorial  and  technical  prob- 
lems in  film  making. 

Whether  they  know  it  or  not,  it  is  worthy  of  record 
that  they  have  established  themselves  among  practical 
film  men  as  adept  exponents  of  the  art  of  pictorial  en- 
tertainment and  they  are  also  the  first  group  of  stage 
producers  to  discover  that  acting  of  the  kind  that  ap- 
peals in  the  regular  playhouse  is  wholly  out  of  place 
before  the  camera.  How  much  Walter  Hale  is  to  be 
credited  for  this  discovery  is  a  matter  of  minor  con- 
sequence. "The  Lightning  Conductor"  was  the  first 
release  of  A.  H.  Sawyer,  Inc.,  a  new  but  important  sys- 
tem of  film  distribution.  Mr.  Sawyer  is  one  of  the 
erstwhile  exhibitors  who  have  risen  in  the  ranks 
through  hard  work  and  persistency.  It  was  Sawyer 
and  John  J.  Murdock  who  launched  the  Kinemacolor 
Company,  when  its  releases  were  the  wonder  of  the 
industry.  "The  Coronation"  and  "Durbar  Festivities" 
were  exploited  by  Sawyer  practically  single  handed  af- 
ter Murdock  became  incapacitated  through  ill  health. 

Harry  C.  Myers  had  more  than  his  share  of  vicissi- 
tudes during  that  portion  of  his  interesting  career  de- 
voted to  the  speaking  stage.  Though  but  31  years  of 
age,  Myers  has  passed  through  about  every  tribula- 


t    §  c  i  e  n  c  e 


tion  that  theatrical  life  can  produce,  but  from  the  day 
that  he  started  in  the  historic  Girard  Avenue  Theatre 
in  the  Quaker  City  as  a  "super"  at  25  cents  per  night, 
his  persistency  and  sincerity  of  purpose  proved  irresis- 
tible to  those  who  employed  him,  and  Myers  was  priv- 
ileged as  a  result  to  obtain  that  kind  of  experience 
rarely  available  to-day. 

The  Girard  Avenue  Theatre  was  a  famous  "stock" 
house  in  that  city,  where  stock  companies  have  never 
lost  their  appeal  to  this  day.  Stage  history  is  replete 
with  records  of  notable  careers,  following  long  and 
laborious  achievement  at  the  Girard,  and  Myers  not 
only  played  fifty  to  sixty  parts  a  season,  but  he  was 
scene  painter,  call  boy,  "props,"  and  stage  carpenter, 
while  on  the  side  he  wrote  plays.  Moreover,  he  never 
had  a  vacation,  spending  his  summers  in  stock  at 
Dubois,  Penna.,  mostly,  but  always  he  "worked"  the 
year  around.  Sometimes  he  was  paid  more  than  at 
others;  not  always  did  he  receive  the  promised  salary. 

The  way  Myers  became  a  factor  in  the  moving  pic- 
ture field  is  worthy  of  relation.  Having  saved  $1,200 
by  practicing  self-denial  for  several  years,  he  was  im- 
pressed, like  so  many  others,  with  the  opportunity  the 
new  science  offered,  so  he  opened  a  "movie"  house  in 
Kensington,  a  suburb  of  Philadelphia.  The  $1,200  was 
swept  away  quickly  enough,  but  Myers  saw  a  future 
for  himself  and  was  determined  to  cast  his  fate  with 
the  camera  man,  come  what  may. 

To  Lubinville  Myers  went,  plaintively  asking  for  a 
chance.  This  was  five  years  ago.  He  is  there  yet, 
and  is  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  tremendous  structure 
Lubin  has  reared.  The  latter  calls  Myers  his  "boy," 
and  this  surely  fits  the  case  to  a  nicety. 

Harry  Myers  to-day  is  one  of  a  dozen  of  the  most 


282 Cfte   Cfteatte 

conspicuous  figures  in  the  established  film  organiza- 
tions. Though  his  fame  as  a  director  is  perhaps  the 
greatest  of  the  triple  service  he  renders,  nevertheless, 
unlike  many  authors  and  directors,  who  gave  up  acting 
before  the  camera,  Myers  still  plays  the  leads  in  many 
of  his  own  productions. 

It  is  said  of  Myers  that  there  is  never  a  production 
of  his  lying  dormant,  the  demand  being  insistent  from 
the  exhibitors,  and  it  is  this  large  demand  for  releases 
directed  by  the  Myers*  grade  director  that  has  justified 
the  writer  to  assume  that  the  established  producers 
of  photoplays  have  little  to  fear  from  any  of  the  new- 
comers in  the  field.  The  impress  of  the  Lubin  produc- 
tivity, with  its  Arthur  Johnstons,  its  Harry  C.  Myers 
and  their  kind  will  be  found  deservedly  lasting. 

"The  Drug  Terror"  is  Myers'  most  important  pro- 
duction up  to  this  writing.  Wholly  apart  from  any 
diversion  of  opinion  as  to  the  power  for  good  or  evil 
of  such  releases,  the  presentation  surely  marked  a  pace 
for  realism  that  will  not  easily  be  maintained. 

The  work  of  Mr.  Frank  Powell,  director  of  Pathe 
Freres'  Special  Features  has  created  a  wide  interest. 
Not  only  is  it  a  combination  of  unique  artistry  and 
truthfulness  of  historical  detail,  but  it  bespeaks  the 
vast  experience  Mr.  Powell  has  had  in  the  motion- 
picture  industry. 

In  years  Mr.  Powell  is  young;  in  directing  experi- 
ence he  is  ripe  and  aged.  Starting  as  a  stage  director 
for  Augustus  Thomas,  he  later  joined  Kirk  la  Shelle, 
and  afterwards  for  some  years  directed  productions  in 
Europe  for  Miss  Ellen  Terry.  He  then  returned  to 
America  and  made  his  debut  in  the  motion-picture 
field  by  directing  comedies  for  the  Biograph  Company. 
With  this  firm  he  was  connected  for  some  two  years, 


of    Science 283 

then,  returning  to  Europe  again,  was  engaged  by  Pathe 
Freres  as  a  producer  of  historical  and  romantic  dramas. 
Ill  health,  however,  necessitated  resting  for  a  while. 
But  his  art  and  advancement  did  not  suffer,  for,  though 
he  was  compelled  to  lay  off  work,  he  toured  the  Con- 
tinent, acquainting  himself  minutely  with  foreign  cos- 
tumes and  types. 

On  his  return  to  America  he  was  engaged  by  the 
Powers  Motion  Picture  Company,  and  after  being  with 
them  for  some  time,  rejoined  Pathe  Freres  as  a  director4 
of  Special  Features. 

Among  Mr.  Powell's  most  recent  releases  of  unusual 
interest  are :  "The  Ghost,"  a  three-reel  Colonial  drama ; 
"The  Corsair,"  a  four-reel  Turkish  story,  necessitating 
much  research  and  historical  exactitude;  a  three-reel 
dramatization  of  the  well-known  classic  poem  "Lu- 
cile,"  and  "The  Stain,"  a  six-reel  modern  American 
story  that  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  strongest  and  most 
artistic  productions  ever  released.. 

Mack  Sennett,  the  director  of  the  Keystone  com- 
edies, has  been  engaged  in  the  theatrical  business  for 
fifteen  years,  and  in  the  moving  picture  branch  for 
the  past  five  years.  During  his  career  on  the  stage 
he  appeared  with  Arnold  Daly,  playing  in  "The  Boys 
of  Company  B,"  produced  by  Daniel  Frohman,  which 
had  a  long  run  at  the  Lyceum  Theatre,  New  York.  He 
also  appeared  with  Henrietta  Crosman  in  Shakespe- 
rean  productions,  in  "Wang,"  with  DeWolf  Hopper 
took  a  prominent  part  in  "The  Chinese  Honeymoon" 
on  the  Shubert  circuit,  and  was  starred  in  farce  com- 
edy. 

Mr.  Sennett  has  been  featured  in  vaudeville  and  bur- 
lesque, starting  in  by  carrying  a  spear  and  winding  up 
as  a  star  and  a  leading  man. 


284  Cfte   C&eatre 

He  has  had  a  varied  experience  in  the  moving-picture 
field  as  a  comedy  actor  and  a  director.  He  produced  all 
the  comedies  for  the  Biograph  Company  for  a  year  and 
a  half  prior  to  his  connection  with  the  Keystone  Com- 
pany, and  has  put  on  some  of  the  well-known  hits,  such 
as  "One-Round  O'Brien,"  "Dashed  Through  the 
Clouds,"  "When  the  Bells  Rang  Out,"  "The  Brave 
Hunter,"  and  many  others  too  numerous  to  mention. 

The  new  Majestic  Company  was  one  of  the  first  film 
producers  to  make  a  six-reel  production  important 
enough  to  go  into  legitimate  theatres  as  a  regular  per- 
formance. This  was  the  case  with  their  "Sapho,"  with 
Florence  Roberts  in  the  title  role,  released  last  July. 
They  are  credited  with  one  of  the  finest  studios  on  the 
Pacific  Coast,  and  of  their  players  it  is  said  "there  are 
no  favorites  like  new  Majestic  favorites."  The  business 
offices  of  the  company  are  at  New  Rochelle,  N.  Y., 
under  the  supervision  of  C.  J.  Hite.  Mr.  Hite  took  hold 
of  the  Majestic  a  little  over  a  year  ago,  christened  it 
"New  Majestic,"  and  made  a  phenomenal  success  of 
it,  although  he  had  the  Thanhouser  Company  and  other 
interests  to  direct.  Up  to  the  taking  over  of  the  Ma- 
jestic by  the  New  Rochelle  producer,  it  had  been  a 
lagging  enterprise,  and  the  present  high  and  sudden 
popularity  of  the  brand  is  one  of  the  phenomena  of 
modern  moving-picture  management. 


"All  ready!    Action!    Camera!" 

Magic  words,  these,  uttered  by  the  Aladdin  of  the 
new  century,  whereupon  the  curling  film  writhes  from 
clicking  motion-picture  cameras,  changing  instantly 
into  streams  of  gleaming,  yellow  gold. 

And  thereupon  the  Pacific  coast  rejoices  greatly,  for 


o  t    @>  c  i  t  n  c  e  285 

the  "wonderful  lamp"  and  its  reflected  visions  upon  the 
screen  surcharge  the  arteries  of  commerce  with  its 
never-ending  flow  of  dollars  and  more  dollars. 

From  pennies  to  millions  in  seven  brief  years !  This 
is  the  history  of  filmdom  in  California.  The  invasion 
was  signalled  by  a  solitary  Selig  camera,  mounted  on 
the  shore  of  the  broad  Pacific  at  Santa  Monica.  Monte 
Cristo,  haggard  and  in  rags,  stood  upon  a  rock  amid 
the  waters,  and,  marshalling  his  feeble  physical  forces, 
cried  in  wild  triumph: 

"The  world  is  mine !" 

The  words  were  portentous. 

What  Monte  really  did  was  to  signal  an  entirely  new 
world  on  the  sunlit  coast — the  world  of  motion  pic- 
tures to  follow  this  first  scene  ever  taken  from  the 
screen  story  west  of  the  slumbering  Sierras. 

Following  this  pioneer  movement  of  the  Selig  Poly- 
scope Company,  under  the  direction  of  Francis  Boggs, 
an  Essanay  Company  came  to  the  wonderful  back- 
grounds of  Southern  California.  A  year  later  W.  N. 
Selig  established  a  permanent  studio  at  Edendale,  a 
borough  of  the  city  of  Los  Angeles,  with  Mr.  Boggs  as 
manager.  The  architecture  and  landscaping  of  this 
plant  were  very  striking. 

The  following  year  came  the  Bison  studio  of  the  New 
York  Motion  Picture  Company.  Then  came  a  Pathe 
organization  to  do  Western  pictures.  Next  was  the 
Biograph  Company,  which  began  paying  annual  visits 
to  the  city.  The  Vitagraph,  Kalem,  and  Edison  ap- 
peared in  the  order  given. 

In  sharp  contrast  to  the  single  camera  operating  for 
a  brief  time  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  seven  years 
ago  is  the  present  filmland,  covering  practically  all  of 
Southern  California.  At  Santa  Barbara  the  American 


286 Cfre   Cfteatre 

Film  Company,  sign  of  the  Flying  A,  has  a  splendid 
studio  and  several  companies.  At  Niles,  "Broncho 
Billy"  Anderson  and  his  Essanay  companies  are  turn- 
ing out  pictures  in  lively  fashion.  At  San  Rafael  the 
well-known  Lucius  Henderson  is  establishing  a  plant 
for  the  newly  organized  California  Film  Company, 
backed  by  San  Francisco  millionaires.  At  San  Diego, 
on  the  south,  the  Ammex  Company  has  been  operating, 
but  now  is  resting  for  a  time.  The  Balboa  Company 
always  has  two  to  three  directors  at  its  Long  Branch 
studio.  In  beautiful  Glendale,  a  foothill  city  near  Los 
Angeles,  are  the  effective  Western  Kalem  forces,  under 
the  general  management  of  George  Melford.  Here  fa- 
mous battles  are  fought  again  in  realistic  manner  and 
historical  Indian  uprisings  are  reproduced  on  the  film. 
A  large  aggregation  of  native  Americans  is  engaged 
for  these  early  dramas.  In  this  same  locality  the  Usona 
Company  is  at  work  producing  independent  films. 
Lucius  Henderson  retired  from  the  California  Film 
Company  in  June,  1914. 

At  Santa  Monica,  the  seaside  resort,  the  Vitagraph 
has  maintained  a  Western  studio  for  more  than  three 
years,  where  the  genius  of  Rollin  S.  Sturgeon  is  re- 
sponsible for  some  of  the  most  successful  productions 
of  filmdom.  In  Santa  Ynez  canon  adjoining  Santa  Mo- 
nica on  the  coast,  is  the  remarkable  working  headquar- 
ters of  the  New  York  Motion  Picture  Company,  wide- 
ly known  as  Inceville,  because  of  its  development  by 
Thomas  H.  Ince,  vice-president  and  general  manager 
of  the  corporation.  The  holdings  cover  20,000  acres  of 
mountain  and  canon,  with  an  easy  access  to  the  ocean. 
Here  Mr.  Ince  has  built  in  a  remarkable  way.  Not 
only  has  he  natural  scenery  for  rugged  Western  pic- 
tures, for  great  battles  and  stirring  raids,  but  has  con- 


J.  W.  KERRIGAN 

Star  Universal  Film  Co. 


WILLIAM  GARWOOD 

Majestic  Leading  Man 


CARYLE  BLACKWELL 

Star  "Famous  Players" 

A  Trio  of  Matinee  Idols  of  the  Screen 


ANDREW  CARNEGIE  CAPITULATES  TO  THE  LURE  OF  "OUR  MUTUAL  GIRL" 


of    Science 287 

structed  for  film  purposes  Irish,  German,  Japanese,  and 
other  villages,  with  logical  surroundings,  for  perma- 
nent use.  He  has  eight  large  companies  constantly  at 
work,  with  a  weekly  payroll  of  $17,000.  These  pictures 
are  released  under  the  Domino,  Broncho,  and  Kay-Bee 
brands. 

At  Edendale  the  New  York  Motion  Picture  Com- 
pany has  not  only  a  fine  printing  and  working  plant  but 
several  large  stages  and  equipment  for  the  Keystone 
comedy  companies,  of  which  there  are  seven.  In  Los 
Angeles  proper,  film  manufacturing  is  a  humming  in- 
dustry. The  Selig  Polyscope  Company  has  an  im- 
mense acreage  at  the  famous  wild-animal  zoo,  adjoin- 
ing beautiful  Eastlake  Park,  which  now  is  in  the  hands 
of  landscape  gardeners  and  architects,  and  soon  will  be 
a  rival  to  Lincoln  Park  in  Chicago.  Six  companies  are 
at  work  there,  including  the  noted  organization  which 
creates  Selig  animal  pictures  similar  to  the  famous 
"Adventures  of  Kathlyn."  This  studio  is  run  inde- 
pendently of  the  beautiful  Mission  plant  at  Edendale. 

Out  on  Sunset  Boulevard  is  the  splendid  Mutual 
studio,  a  plant  under  the  management  of  the  famous 
David  W.  Griffith,  master  producer.  Eight  directors 
are  at  work  in  this  plant,  which  formerly  was  occupied 
by  the  Kinemacolor. 

Occupying  what  was  formerly  Providencia  Ranch,  a 
few  miles  beyond  the  Borough  of  Hollywood  and  the 
Mutual  Studio,  are  the  pretentious  holdings  of  the 
Universal,  with  its  army  of  employees.  An  average 
of  twelve  to  fourteen  directors  is  maintained  at  that 
place.  The  number  of  employees  varies  from  200  to 
500.  These  include  cowboys  and  soldiers. 

The  Jesse  Lasky  Company,  with  such  stars  as  Dus- 
tin  Farnum,  has  a  fine  plant  at  Hollywood.  The  J.  A. 


288  C6e   Cfteatre 

C.  Studio,  a  rendezvous  for  several  independent  com- 
panies, is  located  on  Court  Street,  a  hill  towering  im- 
mediately over  the  business  center  of  Los  Angeles. 
The  Famous  Players,  among  others,  work  from  this 
plant,  the  noted  Mary  Pickford  being  the  star.  The 
local  organization,  known  as  the  Bosworth  Company, 
Inc.,  filming  Jack  London's  stories,  began  its  opera- 
tions in  Los  Angeles,  but  has  moved  to  the  Norbig 
Studio  at  Edendale. 

The  Lubin  Company  of  Philadelphia  maintains  a 
Western  company  in  the  beautiful  arroyo  on  Pasadena 
Avenue,  Los  Angeles.  The  productions  here  have  been 
of  the  Western  and  melodramatic  character.  The  Bio- 
graph  Company  has  a  studio  at  Georgia  and  Girard 
Streets,  beautiful  grounds  behind  a  high  board  fence, 
where,. during  the  first  season  of  the  company,  practi- 
cally all  of  to-day's  stars  were  assembled  under  one 
management,  with  Mr.  Griffith  directing.  Down  to 
date,  the  Biograph  works  in  this  studio  during  the 
winter  months  only.  However,  there  is  a  possibility 
that  they  will  maintain  a  company  all  the  year  round. 

Recent  incorporations  include  the  Fred  Mace  Fea- 
ture Film  Company,  occupying  the  old  Majestic  site  in 
Boyle  Heights,  the  Edwin  August  Feature  Film  Com- 
pany, the  Criterion  Feature  Film  Company,  the  Ken- 
nedy organization,  and  more  than  a  dozen  other  inde- 
pendent concerns,  doing  both  dramatic  and  commer- 
cial work. 

A  summary  of  the  facts  and  figures  reveals  surpris- 
ing results  in  seven  years.  More  than  3,000  people  are 
employed  as  regulars  and  extras  in  and  about  Los  An- 
geles. The  combined  salaries  of  the  actors  alone 
amounts  to  $1,420,000  per  annum,  and  of  extras  almost 
one-half  that  sum.  Rentals,  overhead,  and  other  ex- 


'THE  MEN  AT  THE  WHEEL"— LUBIN  PHOTOGRAPHERS 


SIEGMUND  LUBIN  AND  SOME  OF  HIS  EMPLOYEES 


of    Science 239 

penses  bring  the  total  cash  outlay  to  about  $4,000,000 
yearly.  Every  old-established  film  company  is  repre- 
sented by  working  forces  in  Southern  California,  with 
but  two  exceptions.  There  are  now  73  companies  at 
work  and  newcomers  are  arriving  each  month.  Stu- 
dios are  at  a  premium,  and  new  properties  are  being 
secured  constantly  for  the  construction  of  new  plants. 
From  all  indications  Southern  California,  now  known 
as  the  Mecca  of  the  "Movies,"  still  is  in  its  infancy  as 
a  motion-picture  field.  It  is  freely  predicted  by  manu- 
facturers that  the  film  colony  will  increase  fully  500 
per  cent,  during  the  next  few  years.  As  a  result  of 
the  film  business,  Los  Angeles,  and  in  fact  the  entire 
State  of  California,  with  its  wonderful  landscaping,  per- 
petual summer,  alluring  vistas,  mountains  and  shores, 
has  been  advertised  throughout  the  world  in  a  manner 
which  literature  could  never  hope  to  attain. 


290  Cfte   C&eatte 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

Few  motion  picture  exhibitors  have  indicated  by 
their  mode  of  business  procedure  that  they  were  pre- 
pared for  the  changed  conditions  that  have  prevailed 
in  the  field  of  the  silent  drama  during  the  past  year, 
but  there  are,  perhaps,  a  half  dozen  gentlemen  who 
practically  from  the  outset  of  their  film  activities 
adopted  high-grade  methods,  both  in  the  exploitation 
of  the  productions  on  the  screen  and  in  the  effort  to 
present  them  in  an  artistic  manner. 

At  least  two  of  this  class  of  exhibitors  have  oper- 
ated on  lines  so  different  from  the  ordinary  head  of  a 
photoplay  house  that  one  may  often  hear  them  referred 
to  as  "Impresarios  of  picturedom."  S.  L.  Rothapfel, 
now  in  complete  control  of  the  productions  at  the  new 
Strand  Theatre,  attracted  nation  wide  notice  through 
his  conduct  of  photoplayhouses  in  the  West,  particu- 
larly in  Chicago  and  Minneapolis.  It  is  a  fact  that  in 
every  theatre  directed  by  Mr.  Rothapfel,  except  the 
Strand,  the  prices  of  admission  have  been  the  highest 
charged  for  pictures  up  to  the  time  of  his  regime.  He 
was  the  first,  I  believe,  to  adopt  an  insistent  policy  as 
to  the  musical  accompaniment,  and  that  splendid  or- 


B.  P.  SCHULBERG 

Publicity  Manager  Famous  Players  Co. 


JOSEPH  W.  FARNHAM 

Advertising  Manager  All  Star  Feature 
Film  Co. 


S.  L.  ROTHAPfEL 
Manager  Strand  Theatre,  New  York 


HOBART  BOSWORTH  AS  "WOLF  LARSEN"  IN  JACK  LONDON'S  "SEA 

WOLF" 


of    Science 291 

chestra  at  the  Strand  Theatre  over  which  the  dean  of 
musical  critics,  Mr.  Meltzer,  raved,  in  the  columns  of 
the  New  York  "American/'  is  the  result  of  the  Rothap- 
fel  experience  in  the  West  and  more  recently  at  the 
Regent  Theatre  in  Harlem. 

If  any  local  management  "rehearsed  the  films"  with 
full  orchestral  and  organ  accompaniment  before  Roth- 
apfel  did,  my  attention  was  never  directed  toward  the 
innovation.  I  recall  in  Minneapolis,  the  latter  was  un- 
compromising in  demanding  that  the  same  rules  that 
prevail  for  grand  opera  (in  seating  the  audience  and 
in  forbidding  an  exodus  while  the  curtain  is  up)  must 
be  observed. 

It  was  the  influence  of  Rothapfel  that  inaugurated 
the  exclusively  motion  picture  theatre  movement,  that 
is  to  say  in  theatres  of  large  capacity  erected  expressly 
for  the  silent  drama  and  adopting  a  scale  of  admission 
prices  far  higher  than  the  usual  photoplayhouse  re- 
quires to  this  day. 

Frank  T.  Montgomery,  known  to  fame  as  "Mont- 
gomery, the  moving  picture  man,"  is  perhaps  the  most 
successful  operator  of  high  grade  photoplay  houses 
in  the  entire  country,  achieving  national  celebrity 
though  his  territory  has  been  confined  to  the  South, 
with  Dayton,  Ohio,  as  the  extreme  northern  point  of 
his  activities.  A  Montgomery  theatre  is  always  de- 
voted exclusively  to  moving  pictures  and,  as  he  him- 
self once  expressed  it,  "The  patron  is  always  aware 
that  he  is  in  a  Montgomery  playhouse  because  it  is 
just  different." 

Early  in  life  Montgomery  chose  the  amusement  busi- 
ness as  his  road  to  fortune.  For  years  he  travelled 
with  a  circus  in  the  summer  and  with  theatrical  com- 
panies in  the  winter,  frequently  conducting  vaudeville 


292  C6e   C&eatre 

enterprises  which  in  those  days  were  called  variety 
shows. 

One  day  about  fourteen  years  ago  he  chanced  to  see 
advertised  on  the  front  of  a  theatre  "Black  Diamond 
Express,"  and  investigating  he  discovered  that  it  was 
a  moving  picture  exhibition.  He  convinced  himself 
that  it  would  be  worth  while  to  part  with  a  half  dol- 
lar to  see  the  picture.  Right  there  he  saw  the  possi- 
bilities of  the  motion  picture  business,  and  it  was  not 
many  weeks  after  that  Montgomery  was  on  the  road 
with  a  picture  outfit.  He  collected  a  great  number  of 
films  during  his  years  of  travel,  it  being  necessary  to 
buy  them  outright  from  the  manufacturers.  With  vary- 
ing success,  he  traveled  the  Western  section  of  the 
country,  the  passage  of  time  bringing  out  many  others 
who,  like  Montgomery,  had  seen  a  chance  to  make 
money  with  picture  films.  It  is  interesting  to  recall 
that  in  the  early  days  of  picture  making,  some  of  the 
reels  were  but  50  feet  long,  and  at  the  utmost  not  over 
400  feet.  The  subjects  dealt  with  sensational  things 
such  as  train  wrecks,  horse  racing,  train  robberies,  and 
other  swift  moving  dramas  which  catered  more  to  the 
lover  of  excitement  than  to  the  person  of  refined  tastes. 

It  would  be  a  long  and  unnecessary  story  to  follow 
Montgomery  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  his  trav- 
els with  a  traveling  show  of  pictures.  However,  the 
end  of  his  wanderings  found  him  at  Fort  Worth,  Tex., 
about  nine  years  ago.  There  and  then  he  decided  to 
open  a  moving  picture  theatre. 

Nine  years  ago? 

Here's  where  the  reader  will  almost  declare  that  he 
has  been  seeing  motion  pictures  in  theatres  for  the  past 
twenty  years. 


o  f    @>  c  i  e  n  c  e  293 

Time  has  been  flying,  and  the  motion  picture  busi- 
ness has  kept  pace. 

Nevertheless  it  was  nine  years  ago  that  Montgom- 
ery opened  his  first  moving  picture  theatre,  and  a 
search  for  information  fails  to  reveal  a  record  of  one 
opened  earlier.  Therefore  Montgomery  lays  claim  to 
being  "first"  in  the  United  States  to  operate  a  theatre, 
such  as  it  was,  devoted  to  the  exclusive  exhibition  of 
motion  pictures.  Archie  L.  Shepard  claims  to  have 
given  picture  shows  exclusively  in  1900,  but  Montgom- 
ery's claim  is  that  he  was  first  to  establish  a  theatre  on 
a  permanent  basis  with  moving  pictures  solely  as  the 
attraction. 

He  had  no  fine  theatre  such  as  is  seen  nowadays. 
His  was  a  crude  affair  in  comparison  with  the  modern 
photoplay  theatres.  The  front  was  adorned  with  a 
spreading  canvas  sign  on  which  appeared  in  foot-high 
letters  "Edison's  Family  Theatre."  The  sign  attracted 
the  crowds  and  in  they  went  to  see  the  show.  At  the 
end  of  the  performances  it  was  not  at  all  unusual  for 
the  patrons  to  come  out  and  hunt  up  Montgomery  to 
shake  his  hand  and  say,  "Mr.  Edison,  you  sure  have 
a  great  show."  They,  or  at  least  many  of  them, 
thought  Montgomery  was  Thomas  A.  Edison. 

The  films  shown  in  the  Fort  Worth  house  consisted 
of  those  Montgomery  had  collected  from  time  to  time 
for  his  road  show,  several  hundred  reels  of  varying 
length,  but  of  a  like  quality  of  subject.  An  extra  good 
film  would  be  shown  for  a  week,  while  others  would  be 
run  for  two  or  three  days.  But  with  such  a  limited 
amount  of  films,  Montgomery  soon  saw  the  finish  of 
his  enterprise  which  while  it  lasted  was  a  success.  He 
tried  to  rent  films  from  other  traveling  show-men,  but 
this  plan  would  not  work.  He  tried  to  find  some  place 


294 Cfre   Cfreatre 

where  films  could  be  rented,  but  again  was  unsuccess- 
ful. At  last  he  accepted  the  hopelessness  of  continuing 
with  "repeaters,"  and  moved  to  other  parts. 

Again  he  took  to  the  road,  and  for  several  months 
followed  the  beaten  paths  of  former  years.  Happening 
to  be  in  Memphis,  Tenn.,  he  discovered  a  man  who  was 
preparing  to  open  a  picture  theatre.  Inquiry  elicited 
the  information  that  the  films  for  the  house  were  to  be 
supplied  by  a  house  in  San  Francisco,  probably  one  of 
the  first  film  exchanges  in  the  country.  Montgomery 
lost  no  time  in  returning  to  Texas,  but  found  that,  dur- 
ing his  short  absence,  picture  theatres  had  sprung  up 
in  every  town  of  importance.  He  secured  a  location  in 
a  small  town,  and  there  conducted  a  profitable  busi- 
ness, until  he  felt  the  appeal  for  bigger  things,  when 
he  sold  out  at  a  profit  and  went  to  Memphis. 

There  he  bought  out  the  man  who  had  been  pre- 
paring a  theatre  but  a  year  before.  The  public  had  not 
learned  to  like  pictures  as  yet,  and  many  of  the  vaude- 
ville houses  used  motion  pictures  to  "drive"  the  people 
out  after  each  performance.  Montgomery  announced 
that  he  would  show  nothing  but  pictures.  The  other 
amusement  men  laughed  loudly,  and  then  with  pity- 
ing gestures  gravely  tapped  their  foreheads  and  rolled 
their  eyes.  They  agreed  between  themselves  that 
Montgomery  "was  crazy." 

Here  was  the  beginning  of  "class  and  quality"  which 
made  the  name  of  Montgomery  famous  through  the 
South.  He  reasoned  that  the  people  had  never  seen 
first  class  films — that  they  were  accustomed  to  seeing 
old  films  which  painfully  blurred  along  with  frequent 
breaks  of  the  blood-curdling  events  considered  so  pop- 
ular in  those  days.  Montgomery  began  by  ordering 
new  films.  He  bought  the  best  in  machines.  He  dis- 


SIDNEY  OLCOTT 

Author,  producer  and  director  of  his  own 
company 


GILES  R.  WARREN 

Author  and  director,  one  of  the  first  to 

stage  photoplays 


COL.  JOSEPH  SMILEY 

Director  Lubin  Mfg.  Co. 


MARK  M.  DINTENFASS 

Pioneer  independent  film  manufacturer 


FRANK  T.  MONTGOMERY 

Known  to  fame  as  "Montgomery  the  Moving 
Picture  Man" 


of    Science 2% 

rupted  the  old  idea  of  dark  house  necessity  by  lighting 
his  newly  acquired  theatre  so  that  one  could  read  a 
newspaper  in  any  part  of  it.  With  the  increased  light, 
he  gave  better  ventilation.  He  decorated  the  exterior 
and  interior  of  the  house  with  plants.  He  demanded 
the  best  of  service  from  his  operators,  doormen,  cash- 
iers, and  all  other  employes.  He  put  snap  in  his 
shows.  He  put  music  of  distinct  quality  in  his  house 
by  engaging  an  orchestra. 

Such  a  reformation  of  the  motion  picture  business 
had  never  before  been  thought  of  in  Memphis.  The 
people  were  interested.  The  competitors  of  Montgom- 
ery began  to  take  notice,  but  still  doubtfully  scoffed. 
They  clung  to  the  belief  that  the  public  would  not  pat- 
ronize pictures  as  an  exclusive  exhibition.  They  were 
fooled.  Within  a  short  time  Montgomery  was  building 
or  preparing  to  open  three  other  houses.  The  enthu- 
siasm he  injected  into  his  theatres  and  employes  was 
having  its  effect.  The  quality  he  demanded  and  pro- 
cured was  drawing  the  crowds  by  day  and  by  night. 

Montgomery  enjoyed  a  most  successful  business  in 
Memphis,  and  his  fine  business  attracted  many  flatter- 
ing offers,  one  of  which  he  eventually  accepted,  and 
amid  the  regrets  of  citizens,  business  men,  the  news- 
papers and  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  prepared  to 
accept  an  invitation  to  open  a  grand  theatre  in  New 
York.  He  was  forced  to  spend  a  day  in  Jacksonville, 
Fla.,  and  seeing  the  energy  and  progress  of  that  city, 
decided  to  cancel  the  New  York  engagement.  He  took 
over  an  entire  building  and  transformed  it  into  one  of 
the  cosiest  picture  houses  in  the  South,  the  former 
owner  having  lost  money  in  trying  to  make  it  pay  with 
vaudeville  acts.  Then  Montgomery  formed  the  Mont- 
gomery Amusement  Company,  and  began  a  develop- 


296 Cfre   Cfteatre 

ment  that  placed  theatres  in  Atlanta,  Savannah,  Co- 
lumbia, S.  C.,  Dayton,  Ohio,  Valdosta,  Ga.,  Tampa, 
Fla.,  all  of  which  cities  gave  him  a  hearty  welcome. 

In  Atlanta,  Montgomery  built  and  opened  what  is 
considered  one  of  the  finest  motion  picture  theatres 
in  the  country.  Here  he  was  given  an  opportunity  to 
display  his  peculiar  talents  in  reformation  of  old  ideas 
which  had  settled  down  on  Atlanta  through  years  and 
years.  He  found  other  theatres  showing  slides  which 
instructed  ladies  to  report  to  the  manager  any  masher 
who  annoyed  them.  Montgomery  made  his  house  so 
bright  that  the  mashers  and  their  ilk  avoided  it.  That 
pleased  Montgomery.  He  had  proven  that  people  did 
not  really  want  blood  and  thunder  photoplays,  and 
would  enjoy  the  cleaner  and  more  uplifting  films.  He 
also  proved  in  Atlanta,  that  the  main  underlying  ob- 
jection to  picture  shows  was  the  poor  quality  and  man- 
agement. He  announced  his  determination  to  cater 
to  the  best  people.  They  heard  and  answered  him  by 
crowding  his  house.  Then  the  other  picture  men  got 
busy.  They  did  as  Montgomery  was  doing.  Such  has 
been  the  history  of  the  motion  picture  business  in 
every  city  where  Montgomery  has  operated.  He  has 
always  been  intent  on  making  his  shows  better — his 
houses  cleaner — his  music  more  artistic  and  entertain- 
ing. His  has  been  a  policy  of  betterment,  even  when 
the  public  said  he  could  do  no  better  as  he  had  reached 
the  highest  possible  point  in  perfection. 

This  man  Montgomery  is  unique. 

He  not  only  developed  a  new  standard  in  motion 
picture  houses,  but  he  developed  a  new  style  in  adver- 
tising, and  with  that  as  a  basis  developed  a  demand  in 
the  public  mind  for  quality.  I  may  go  farther  and 
say  that  he  developed  a  class  of  plagiarists  who  copied 


of    Science 297 

his  style  in  every  particular  that  connected  with  the 
exhibition  of  pictures. 

To-day  Montgomery  has  costly  theatres  of  about 
equal  capacity  and  all  conducted  under  one  policy  in  a 
dozen  cities  between  Ohio  and  Texas.  His  establish- 
ments in  Atlanta  and  Jacksonville  are  beyond  question 
the  finest  in  the  country. 

It  was  the  manner  in  which  this  born  showman  ex- 
ploited the  Kalem  masterpiece  "From  the  Manger  to 
the  Cross,"  that  convinced  the  writer  that  showman- 
ship was  entirely  out  of  place  in  offering  such  an  enno- 
bling spectacle  to  the  public.  Therefore  it  is  worthy  of 
note  that  it  required  a  showman  to  grasp  a  problem 
requiring  the  total  elimination  of  theatrical  methods. 
In  another  chapter  the  writer  deals  with  the  subject 
at  length. 

William  Fox,  though  his  career  has  gradually  as- 
sumed an  eclectic  character  in  that  he  now  conducts 
dramatic,  vaudeville  and  moving  picture  theatres,  the 
latter  have  predominated  always.  Moreover,  William 
Fox  is  a  product  of  the  motion  picture  era,  entering 
the  field  seven  years  ago  in  a  modest  way  with  a  little 
auditorium  in  Brooklyn  constructed  from  an  empty 
store.  Prospering,  Fox  expanded  his  operations  with 
amazing  rapidity.  In  1909  he  was  already  a  magnate 
with  a  dozen  first  grade  playhouses  converted  into 
gold  laden  temples  of  scientific  entertainment.  East 
14th  street  was  the  principal  scene  of  his  extensive 
operations — the  Dewey  and  City  theatres  and  the 
Academy  of  Music  were  all  under  his  control  simul- 
taneously, but  William  Fox  began  in  1911  to  build 
theatres — million  dollar  palaces — and  in  these  vaude- 
ville and  moving  pictures  have  been  the  attraction. 
Mr.  Fox  has  six  theatres  of  modern  construction  now 


298  Cfte   C&eatre 

in  the  Greater  City  and  one  of  these  at  least,  the  Cro- 
tona,  has  been  regarded  as  the  wonder  of  theatredom. 

Besides  owning  or  controlling  a  score  of  dividend- 
paying  theatres,  Mr.  Fox  is  the  head  of  a  big  film  rent- 
ing concern,  to  perpetuate  the  influence  of  which  he 
has  been  involved  in  endless  litigation  with  the  so- 
called  "picture  trust."  In  1913,  Mr.  Fox  entered  the 
producing  field  of  pictures  by  establishing  "The  Box 
Office  Attractions"  Company,  one  of  the  largest  film 
organizations  in  the  country,  thus  enabling  the  enter- 
prising Fox  to  supply  not  only  his  own  theatres  with 
compelling  film  productions,  but  the  company  is  im- 
pregnably  intrenched  with  exchanges  and  affiliations 
of  the  kind  the  modern  film  magnate  must  needs  pos- 
sess. 

Tom  Moore,  not  the  photoplayer  of  that  name,  is 
known  in  the  show  world  as  the  man  whose  fortune 
was  founded  on  a  song,  yet  his  career  as  far  as  I 
have  been  permitted  to  observe  it,  is  but  another  illus- 
tration of  the  showmanship  of  a  man  who  saw  in  the 
new  science  a  great  opportunity,  embraced  it  with  seri- 
ous intent,  and  achieved  in  a  few  years  a  status  for 
himself  best  indicated  by  his  present  holdings.  Be- 
sides the  Garden,  Orpheum  and  Plaza  theatres  Mr. 
Moore  owns  ten  photoplay  houses  in  or  near  the  City 
of  Washington,  D.  C. 

Mr.  Moore  will  be  recalled  by  many  readers  of  this 
volume  as  a  vaudeville  performer  who  sang  his  own 
songs  on  the  Proctor  circuit.  One  of  his  compositions, 
"Love,  I  Dream  of  You,"  had  a  prolonged  vogue  and 
brought  in  royalties  exceeding  $5,000.  This  capital  he 
invested  in  the  motion  picture  field.  The  first  film 
production  to  attract  him  was  that  remarkable  release 
of  a  primitive  period  entitled  "The  Great  Train  Rob- 


of    Science 


bery."  From  this  he  made  enough  money  to  enter  the 
exhibition  side  of  the  industry  with  his  own  theatre  at 
Chesapeake  Beach.  His  wife  sold  the  tickets  and 
Moore  himself  "Bally  hooed."  He  ran  the  machine. 
Between  reels  he  sang  while  his  wife  played  the  piano, 
and  later,  having  kept  his  eye  on  the  audience  while 
Mrs.  Moore  was  absent  from  the  door,  he  collected  the 
nickels  from  those  who  had  entered. 

Later,  having  convinced  himself  he  was  "in  right," 
and  having  in  the  meantime  scored  with  "Love,  I 
Dream  of  You,"  Moore  retired  from  vaudeville  and  re- 
turned to  Washington  with  $5,000  saved,  bent  upon 
conquest  of  the  Capital  City.  To-day  the  one  time 
vaudevillian  is  one  of  the  big  men  operating  on  the 
exhibition  side  of  the  industry.  One  of  his  theatres 
cost  $225,000.  It  is  called  "The  Red  Mill"  and  seats 
2,200  persons. 

Moore  converted  the  old  Academy  of  Music,  which 
had  known  so  many  ups  and  downs,  into  a  veritable 
gold  mine.  He  did  the  same  thing  with  the  Imperial, 
built  for  vaudeville,  but  he  lost  $6,000  before  he  solved 
the  problem.  Now  the  place  is  called  the  Garden  The- 
atre and  is  a  big  dividend  payer.  It  is  fair  here  to 
credit  Mrs.  Moore  with  no  little  share  of  the  achieve- 
ments to  date.  Madame  has  been  his  co-worker  from 
the  outset  eight  years  ago,  when  as  Irene  Martin  she 
cast  her  fate  with  the  industrious  showman  and  be- 
came his  wife  about  the  same  time. 

Felix  Isman  is  a  name  one  may  seldom  see  in  the 
public  press  and  it  is  rare  indeed  that  the  man  himself 
is  a  conspicuous  figure  in  the  localities  where  theatrical 
folk  most  congregate.  To  this  day  I  have  never  met 
Mr.  Isman.  Moreover,  I  had  considerable  difficulty  to 
secure  his  portrait.  However,  Mr.  Isman  has  been  one 


soo  Cfte   Cfieatre 

of  the  heaviest  investors  in  motion  picture  theatres 
and  has  usually  allowed  his  representative  to  pose  as 
the  head  of  each  enterprise.  This  is  so  true  that  it  is 
doubtful  if  one  in  a  hundred,  even  in  the  profession, 
know  that  Isman  was  the  real  power  behind  Archie  L. 
Shepard  when  that  pioneer  started  the  first  exclu- 
sively motion  picture  theatre  in  New  York  (Standard 
Theatre). 

After  Shepard  retired  William  J.  Gane  became  man- 
ager, but  he  was  an  employe  of  Isman's,  and  unless 
I  am  mistaken  is  still  one,  for  Isman  never  was  so 
actively  interested  in  motion  picture  houses  as  now. 
The  Broadway  and  Republic  Theatres  are  operated 
under  his  direction — at  least  two  new  houses  are  about 
to  be  dedicated  in  New  York,  but  it  is  not  likely  the 
name  of  Isman  will  be  revealed  to  the  public. 

In  Philadelphia  Mr.  Isman's  interests  are  almost  be- 
yond calculation.  This  is  the  city  of  wondrous  photo- 
play houses,  and  Isman  owns  or  controls  the  lease  of 
so  many  that  I  doubt  if  he  could  present  an  accurate 
list  off-hand  himself.  Besides  possessing  a  genius  for 
real  estate  operations  Isman  has  always  shown  a  pref- 
erence for  "discounting  futures,"  and  his  judgment  as 
to  the  future  of  the  motion  picture  was  never  so  ac- 
curate as  at  that  period  when  the  theatrical  producers 
forecasted  its  decline. 

It  was  at  this  period  that  Isman  affiliated  himself 
right  and  left  with  film  men  and  reduced  his  invest- 
ments in  theatrical  enterprises.  In  this  respect  he 
stands  as  a  unique  figure  in  the  amusement  world,  and 
that  he  has  prospered  amazingly  is  but  a  just  return 
for  what  his  influence  has  been  when  it  was  most 
needed.  In  June,  1914,  Mr.  Isman  in  association  with 
Henry  Russell,  of  Boston,  and  Henry  Higgins,  of  Lon- 


of    Science 301 

don,  England,  leased  the  Theatre  des  Champs  Elysees, 
Paris,  France,  for  a  term  of  twenty  years.  This  mag- 
nificent erstwhile  home  of  grand  opera  will  now  be 
conducted  as  a  high  grade  photoplay  house,  and  it  is 
expected  that  the  enterprise  is  merely  the  inauguration 
of  a  well-conceived  plan  on  Mr.  Isman's  part  to  finally 
enter  the  field  openly  and  on  a  large  scale. 

Frederick  F.  Proctor  comes  in  for  mention  here,  for 
if  there  is  one  among  the  vaudeville  managers  who 
has  persistently  augmented  the  photoplay  portion  of 
his  programs,  Mr.  Proctor  is  that  one.  As  a  matter  of 
fact  the  Proctor  enterprises,  as  they  are  to-day,  indicate 
that  the  "Grand  old  man  of  vaudeville"  believes  he 
may  best  hold  his  public  by  presenting  more  photo- 
plays and  less  vaudeville. 

Whether  Mr.  Proctor  has  found  that  a  photoplay 
policy  exclusively  will  solve  the  problem  of  the  Fifth 
Avenue  Theatre  in  New  York  it  is  perhaps  too  soon 
to  determine,  but  it  is  certain  the  change  of  policy  in 
that  playhouse  has  already  justified  its  permanent  con- 
tinuance. In  all  of  the  three  other  Proctor  houses  in 
Manhattan  photoplays  are  now  the  main  feature. 

The  writer  has  recited  so  often  the  story  of  Proc- 
tor's achievements  in  Mount  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  that  there 
remains  now  only  to  state  that  since  the  last  volume 
was  issued,  there  has  risen  in  that  city  a  palatial  mil- 
lion dollar  playhouse  occupying  four  city  blocks, 
erected,  so  it  is  stated,  from  the  profits  of  four  years 
from  the  "Bijou  Dream"  in  the  same  city  which  Proc- 
tor launched  with  moving  pictures  at  a  time  when 
ninety  per  cent,  of  the  inhabitants  refused  to  enter  a 
local  play  house.  Before  the  "Bijou  Dream"  was  in  its 
third  month  the  average  attendance  was  18,000  persons 
a  week,  about  65  per  cent,  of  the  total  population. 


302  Cfte   C&eatre 

One  of  the  most  interesting  developments  of  the 
moving  picture  craze  in  this  year  of  1914,  was  the  re- 
turn to  first  principles  of  that  veteran  showman  and 
pioneer,  Michael  B.  Leavitt,  who  after  a  prolonged  re- 
tirement from  the  amusement  field,  and  despite  that  he 
is  approaching  three  score  and  ten  years  of  man's  life 
allotment,  has  entered  the  film  game,  as  he  expressed 
it,  having  secured  the  sole  right  to  present  the  moving 
pictures  of  "Sixty  Years  a  Queen"  in  the  maritime 
provinces. 

To  have  seen  Leavitt,  who  is  yet  as  spry  and  appa- 
rently as  youthful  as  he  was  in  his  palmy  days  plan- 
ning the  campaign  for  the  Canadian  entourage  in  the 
offices  of  the  Anglo-American  Film  Company,  was 
about  as  inspiring  a  sight  as  one  could  behold.  I  can 
only  conjecture  as  to  what  will  happen  if  Leavitt 
should  really  undertake  to  become  active  as  a  film 
entrepreneur. 

The  first  photoplayhouse,  built  for  the  purpose  in 
New  York's  Theatre  zone,  was  dedicated  on  Saturday 
evening,  April  11,  1914,  when  the  Strand  Theatre  oc- 
cupying the  entire  Broadway  block  from  47th  to  48th 
streets  inaugurated  its  policy  of  presenting  feature 
films  with  appropriate  musical  accompaniment. 

The  projectors  of  this,  the  largest  theatre  in  New 
York,  seating  3,500  persons  comfortably,  are  the  Mark 
Brothers,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  Max  Spiegel,  prom- 
inent factors  all  of  them  in  the  motion  picture  field. 
The  Messrs.  Mark  were  among  the  first  exhibitors  in 
Western  New  York,  and  their  operations  have  extend- 
ed throughout  Canada  where  they  still  have  extensive 
interests.  Mr.  Spiegel  has  had  a  prosperous  career 
as  a  burlesque  magnate,  but  has  erected  not  a  few  lux- 
urious photoplay  houses ;  the  last  to  be  dedicated  was 


"SIXTY  YEARS  A  QUEEN"— VICTORIA  BECOMES  A  QUEEN 


|  !      ] 


'SIXTY  YEARS  A  QUEEN"— VICTORIA  HONORING  CHARLES  DICKENS 

(Anglo-American  Film  Co.] 


of^cience  303 

also  called  the  Strand  Theatre  and  is  located  at  Mount 
Vernon,  N.  Y.  This  bijou  theatre,  in  the  city  where 
the  writer  resides,  has  adopted  various  policies  in  an 
effort  to  finally  find  a  permanent  appeal.  It  was  in 
this  commodious  and  perfectly  constructed  theatre  that 
I  was  privileged  to  witness,  during  a  period  of  about 
six  months,  many  film  productions,  among  the  num- 
ber at  least  a  score  of  important  releases  that  were 
never  announced  in  any  of  the  so-called  "first  run" 
houses  in  Greater  New  York. 

This  and  other  photoplay  houses  in  my  home  town, 
of  which  there  are  seven  in  all,  have  been  operated 
so  as  to  embrace  all  of  the  various  brands  of  film,  each 
confining  its  releases  to  a  particular  service.  As  a  re- 
sult, on  inclement  days  the  writer  has  been  enabled 
to  view  as  many  as  twenty  reels,  many  of  which  were 
"missed"  in  the  metropolis. 

If  the  average  photoplay  house  is  conducted  with  the 
same  intelligence  that  has  characterized  the  manage- 
ment of  these  local  theatres,  one  may  understand  how 
Messrs.  Mark  and  Spiegel,  after  years  of  provincial 
experience,  have  come  to  the  Great  White  Way  for  con- 
quest, and  I  was  not  surprised  at  the  inaugural  night 
at  the  New  York  Strand  Theatre  to  observe  the 
amazement  of  old  time  showmen,  some  of  whom  shook 
their  heads  as  if  to  indicate  that  the  prodigious  under- 
taking would  "come  a-cropper." 

But  there  is  no  record  of  failure  for  any  similar  en- 
terprise seeking  to  sustain  itself  through  an  appeal  to 
the  masses  with  an  abundance  of  entertainment  at 
amazingly  low  prices  of  admission,  and  the  "old  show- 
men" may  as  well  become  reconciled  to  the  spectacle 
of  40,000  persons  passing  through  the  Strand's  portals 


304 Cfte   Cfteatre 

each  seven  days  as  long  as  its  regime  continues  as  it 
started. 

One  of  the  Mount  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  theatres — The 
Crescent — is  under  the  management  of  S.  Lee  Kohn. 
This  house  has  had  about  as  checkered  a  career  as 
any  within  one's  recollection.  Forty  years  ago  it  was 
"the  twon  hall."  Well  do  I  recall  the  village  con- 
stable who  was  wont  to  collect  the  nightly  rental  and 
various  other  sums  due  local  people  with  warrants — 
to  gain  time.  So  accustomed  was  the  officer  to  jail- 
ing the  showmen  that  he  always  prepared  the  war- 
rants ahead  in  any  event. 

This  old  hall  has  been  used  for  every  type  of  show 
imaginable.  If  any  one  prospered  there  up  to  1911, 
there  is  no  record  of  it,  until  that  year,  when  a  stock 
company  attracted  crowds  for  several  months.  It  was 
a  public  created  by  moving  picture  shows  that  finally 
solved  the  problem.  Out  of  25,000  persistent  photo- 
playgoers  one-fifth  were  enticed  into  a  "regular"  the- 
atre to  see  plays  acted  by  players  in  the  flesh.  Surely 
this  is  an  interesting  revelation,  for  what  can  be  done 
in  a  suburb  of  New  York  long  known  as  a  theatrical 
graveyard  should  not  be  impossible  anywhere  else. 

Now  the  Crescent  Theatre  is  quite  an  institution. 
It  is  rare  indeed  that  its  capacity  is  not  tested  at  last 
twice  daily,  a  condition  due  solely  to  Mr.  Kohn's  policy 
— a  two-hour  show  of  association  films  with  no  seat 
costing  more  than  ten  cents. 

The  career  of  many  leaders  in  the  amusement  world 
furnishes  very  interesting  reading,  and  also  very  in- 
structive. In  but  very  few  cases  do  we  find  the  men  at 
the  head  of  our  various  amusement  enterprises  other 
than  self-made  men.  Invariably  the  man  who  had 


o  (    @>  c  i  e  n  c  e  305 

been  candy-butcher,  newsboy  or  program  seller,  rises 
to  the  top  and  leads  to-day. 

The  career  of  Benjamin  S.  Moss,  of  Moss  and  Brill, 
furnishes  an  example  of  where  energy,  honesty,  and 
a  "punch"  can  land  the  American  boy. 

Born  in  the  old  Yorkville  section  some  thirty-eight 
years  ago,  he  knew  early  the  wants,  ambitions  and 
struggles  of  the  boy  who  is  destined  to  attend  college 
in  the  University  of  Hardknocks. 

It  is  now  five  years  since  Moss  entered  the  amuse- 
ment business  in  New  York  City,  commencing  his  op- 
eration with  the  86th  Street  Theatre,  and  in  that  time 
he  has  added  to  it  the  magnificent  million-dollar  Jef- 
ferson situated  in  the  heart  of  the  great  teeming  East 
Side  of  New  York,  and  the  beautiful  refined  Hamilton 
perched  on  the  Heights  overlooking  the  Hudson.  Af- 
terwards the  Plaza  in  New  York  City,  the  Colonial  in 
Albany,  and  other  out-of-town  theatres  came  under  his 
control. 

There  is  no  more  optimistic  theatre  man  regarding 
the  motion  picture  industry  than  Mr.  Moss.  His  faith 
has  been  shown  in  the  photoplay  in  the  past,  and  no 
one  dreams  of  greater  things  for  the  future  than  he. 

When  you  are  looking  over  the  ground  for  prospec- 
tive leaders  for  the  future,  don't  make  the  mistake  of 
overlooking  this  live  wire. 


306  C6e   C&eatre 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Considerable  literature  in  the  shape  of  volumes,  the 
number  of  which  is  increasing,  particularly  this  year, 
has  been  issued  on  the  technic  of  the  photoplay.  But 
few  of  these  have  been  helpful  to  the  scenario  writer, 
and  the  tendency  for  unknown  writers  who  embrace 
this  difficult  endeavor  without  the  least  practical  ex- 
perience to  pose  as  authorities,  has  brought  about  a 
condition  wherein  the  writer  has  thought  it  incum- 
bent upon  him  to  endeavor  to  separate  the  wheat  from 
the  chaff,  in  that  not  over  six  of  more  than  a  hundred 
such  volumes  have  been  prepared  by  authors  whose 
•expression  is  due  to  actual  achievement  as  photoplay- 
wrights  or  from  an  association  with  the  film  studio's 
scenario  departments. 

Perhaps  the  most  able  of  all  of  the  gentlemen  in  this 
field  is  Epes  Winthrop  Sargent,  a  forceful  writer  of 
vast  experience  in  the  field  of  the  theatre.  Sargent 
hails  from  the  West  Indies,  and  he  first  attracted 
attention  when  he  came  to  New  York  to  become  the 
vaudeville  critic  of  the  "Morning  Telegraph"  about 
twenty  years  ago.  Under  the  nom  de  plume  of  "Chi- 
cot"  his  writings  aroused  widespread  interest  and 
no  little  protest  from  the  vaudeville  performer ;  in  fact, 


of    Science  SOT 

it  may  be  stated  that  while  "Chicot"  was  represented 
in  the  columns  of  New  York's  only  five-cent  daily,  the 
criticisms  were  of  that  character  which  carries  weight 
and  not  the  least  influence  was  exerted  in  the  count- 
ing room.  "Chicot's"  years  of  service  on  the  "Tele- 
graph" antedated  the  advent  of  the  horde  of  adver- 
tising solicitors  that  are  now  so  conspicuous  about  the- 
atrical, particularly  vaudeville,  booking  offices.  In  all 
the  years  that  I  knew  him  (and  I  was  in  the  vaudeville 
field  throughout  his  "Telegraph"  incumbency)  Sargent 
never  once  approached  me  for  an  advertisement,  and  I 
never  heard  of  any  one  else  approached — artist,  man- 
ager or  agent. 

I  can  testify  to  the  influence  of  this  virile  penman 
in  the  primitive  period  of  continuous  vaudeville  when 
the  performer  was  prodded  persistently  to  augment 
and  change  his  productivity  and  to  eliminate  vulgarity. 
There  is  no  survival  to-day  of  the  "Chicot"  style  of 
criticism,  which,  though  apparently  severe  and  frank, 
was  nevertheless  of  greater  aid  to  the  aspirant  and 
the  accepted  artist  alike  than  that  of  any  reviewer  of 
vaudeville  performances  in  the  history  of  the  stage. 

It  was  this  same  "Chicot"  who  started  the  green- 
covered  weekly,  then,  as  now,  called  "Variety,"  but 
because  of  an  uncompromising  attitude  toward  the 
vaudeville  artist  and  an  insistent  method  of  separating 
the  counting-room  from  the  editorial  influence,  "Chi- 
cot" and  Sime  J.  Silverman  disagreed,  but  not  before 
"Variety"  had  become  representative  and  all-powerful 
as  a  distinctively  vaudeville  newspaper. 

Such  was  the  earlier  career  of  the  man  who  already 
in  the  90's  was  an  acknowledged  motion-picture  au- 
thority. If  my  memory  serves  me  correctly,  Sargent 
predicted  as  early  as  1898  that  photoplays  or  plays  in 


Cfte   Cfteatre 


pictures  would  solve  the  camera  man's  greatest  prob- 
lem of  the  near  future,  and  when  after  some  years  of 
mixed  activities  in  the  publicity  field  Sargent  joined 
the  Lubin  Company  as  Scenario  Editor,  he  began  to 
do  things  in  filmdom  on  a  big  scale. 

As  scenario  editor  and  as  photoplaywright,  Sar- 
gent's experience  has  been  of  that  character  to  wholly 
justify  his  being  accepted  as  an  authority  on  photo- 
play construction  from  almost  any  angle;  hence,  his 
first  volume  on  "The  Technique"  was  widely  distrib- 
uted and  favorably  reviewed  all  over  the  world.  To- 
ward the  end  of  1913,  a  second  volume  on  the  same 
theme,  though  practically  an  entirely  new  work,  was 
published  by  the  "Moving  Picture  World,"  after  an 
overwhelming  receipt  of  advance  orders. 

At  this  time  Mr.  Sargent's  activities  are  truly  pro- 
digious. Besides  contributing  exclusively  to  two  reg- 
ular departments  —  both  of  which  he  has  made  vital 
features  of  the  publication  —  he  writes  many  of  the  best 
essays  that  now  appear  in  the  "Moving  Picture  World  ;" 
in  fact,  it  is  not  too  much  to  state  that  the  amazing 
success  of  this  the  accepted  weekly  organ  of  the  film 
industry  is  at  least  as  much  due  to  Sargent  as  to  any 
other  factor  that  can  be  pointed  to.  Scarcely  a  week 
ever  passes  that  one  of  Sargent's  photoplays  is  not 
released.  The  Lubin  Company  has  released  the  great- 
er number,  but  at  the  time  of  this  writing  the  Edison 
Company  is  producing  some  of  the  best  work  this  au- 
thor has  ever  done.  In  addition,  Sargent  contributes 
fiction  stories  galore  to  the  magazines  and  special  ar- 
ticles to  magazines  and  newspapers  alike.  One  day 
this  facile  writer  may  come  forth  as  a  playwright, 
though  undoubtedly,  like  a  few  others,  he  is  held  fast 
by  the  lure  of  the  camera  man. 


of    Science 309 

Herbert  Hoagland,  long  identified  with  the  Pathe 
Freres  American  Company,  was  one  of  the  first  to  is- 
sue a  volume  on  photoplay  construction.  The  work 
has  been  distributed  by  the  Hannis-Jordan  Publishing 
Company,  and  has  had  a  considerable  sale.  Mr.  Hoag- 
land also  has  endeavored  throughout  his  prolonged  in- 
cumbency in  the  Pathe  institution,  to  render  helpful 
service  to  the  photoplaywright,  never  hesitating  to 
warn  the  aspirant  as  to  the  pitfalls  which  abound  in 
an  industry  overwhelmed  with  schools,  the  majority 
of  which  are  absolutely  useless.  An  exception,  how- 
ever, must  be  noted  in  that  the  Home  Correspondence 
School  of  Springfield,  Mass.,  an  institution  of  vast  in- 
fluence for  the  entire  writer  family,  its  photoplay  de- 
partment being  conducted  by  experienced  authors,  all 
of  whom  have  achieved  renown  through  their  individ- 
ual work. 

From  the  Springfield  institution  there  is  issued 
monthly  "The  Photoplay  Author,"  a  magazine  dealing 
exclusively  with  the  scenario  question.  Its  contribu- 
tors are  usually  the  officers  of  the  institution.  The 
articles  written  by  E.  J.  Esenwein,  long  editor  of  "Lip- 
pincott's  Magazine,"  have  been  widely  quoted  in  the 
public  and  trade  press.  Mr.  Esenwein  has  also  issued 
a  volume,  entitled  "The  Art  of  the  Photoplay,"  which 
is  one  of  the  five  or  six  publications  of  this  nature  to 
serve  a  useful  purpose. 

Catherine  Carr,  the  scenario  Editor  of  the  North 
American  Film  Company,  is  the  latest  of  the  recog- 
nized authorities  on  photoplay  writing  to  prepare  a 
concrete  work  on  the  subject.  Miss  Carr's  volume  is 
entitled  "The  Art  of  Photoplay  Writing,"  and  is  being 
prepared  for  press  at  this  time.  The  work  will  be  pub- 
lished by  the  Hannis-Jordan  Company,  also  publishers 


C6e   Cfteatrc 


of  "The  Writer's  Bulletin,"  a  useful  booklet  issued 
monthly  for  the  benefit  of  the  writer  family.  The  pho- 
toplay department  in  "The  Writer's  Bulletin,"  con- 
ducted by  E.  M.  Wickes,  is  one  of  the  best  the  sce- 
nario writer  can  look  to  for  information  and  instruc- 
tion. Besides  the  staff  of  the  "Bulletin,"  the  editress 
seems  to  have  at  her  command  a  number  of  noted  au- 
thorities in  the  film  world  whose  contributions  are  in- 
variably offered  in  public  spirit.  Among  these  latter 
contributions  may  be  named  the  writings  of  C.  B. 
Hoadley,  of  the  Biograph  Company.  In  view  of  the 
known  aversion  of  the  Biograph  Company  to  publicity 
of  any  kind,  Mr.  Hoadley's  interesting  essays  are 
eagerly  read  and  widely  discussed. 

Eustace  Hale  Ball,  like  Mr.  Sargent,  has  had  a  long 
career  as  writer  and  photoplaywright  to  justify  the 
publication  of  his  new  volume,  "The  Art  of  the  Photo- 
play" (at  least  three  other  books  have  the  same  title). 
Mr.  Ball  is  a  university  graduate  who  began  newspa- 
per work  on  the  "Cincinnati  Enquirer."  For  six  years 
he  wrote  syndicated  stories  and  feature  articles  for  a 
group  of  large  city  dailies,  also  turning  out  one  novel 
a  week  for  Frank  Tousey  and  a  large  number  of  thrill- 
ers for  Street  &  Smith. 

Mr.  Ball's  "The  Art  of  the  Photoplay"  is  ready, 
and  will  be  published  by  the  Veritas  Company,  also 
publishers  of  a  half  dozen  novels  from  his  pen.  In 
1912  Eustace  Hale  Ball  started  his  film  career  as  ad- 
vertising agent  of  the  Eclair  Company,  later  becoming 
that  company's  scenario  editor,  following  this  with  a 
term  as  drector  of  the  Solax  Co.  He  claims  that  in 
1912,  in  association  with  Harry  Raver,  he  organized 
the  "All-Star  Film  Corporation."  Ball  claims  he  was 
a  year  ahead  of  the  times,  and  that  the  "All-Star"  was 


'PICKWICK  PAPERS' 

(Vitagraph) 


'•  PICKWICK  PAPERS" 

(Vitagraph) 


John  Bunny  at  His  Best 


o  f    S  t  i  e  n  c  e  311 

the  foundation  of  the  so-called  "theatrical  movement" 
in  filmdom. 

In  March,  1913,  Mr.  Ball  founded  the  Historical 
Film  Company,  and  during  the  past  year  has  prepared 
the  scenarios  for  a  dozen  big  features.  In  all,  he  has 
had  produced  about  250  comedies,  dramas,  and  is  now 
busier  than  ever. 

William  Lord  Wright  has  issued  a  volume  on  the 
photoplay;  I  have  not  read  it;  yet  there  is  no  better 
qualified  writer  on  the  subject  in  this  country  to- 
day. During  the  regime  of  Alfred  H.  Saunders 
as  editor  of  the  "Moving  Picture  News,"  Mr.  Wright 
conducted  two  distinct  departments  which  represented 
the  best  subject  matter  contained  in  that  publication, 
while  his  contributions  to  the  "Motion  Picture  Story 
Magazine"  have  been,  and  still  are,  a  feature  of  that 
amazingly  successful  publication. 

In  April,  1914,  owing  to  the  growth  of  the  film  in- 
dustry and  the  increased  interest  in  the  "Dramatic 
Mirror's"  moving-picture  department,  Editor  Shrader 
wisely  induced  Mr.  Wright  to  resume  his  readable  ar- 
ticles under  the  caption,  "For  Photoplay wrights,  Real 
and  Near,"  and  the  move  was  appreciated  by  the  clever 
writer's  large  following  to  such  an  extent  that  Mr. 
Shrader  has  found  the  "Mirror's"  already  large  circu- 
lation immeasurably  increased.  About  the  same  time 
that  Mr.  Wright  joined  the  "Mirror"  staff,  he  became 
active  in  a  movement  to  put  through  Congress  a  bill 
that  will  provide  for  copyright  protection  for  the  pho- 
toplaywright.  Though  there  exists  a  wide  difference  of 
opinion  as  to  the  wisdom  of  this  move,  the  writer  be- 
lieves that  a  remedy  for  existing  evils  must  soon  be 
evolved. 

In  the  city  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  there  is  issued  a  week- 


312 Cfre   Cfteatte 

ly  publication  called  "Town  Talk,"  of  which  Herman 
E.  L.  Beyer  is  the  editor.  Mr.  Beyer  being  a  prolific 
photoplaywright  has  naturally  devoted  the  greater  por- 
tion of  this  weekly  to  the  motion  picture,  and  in  this 
policy  he  has  steadily  wielded  increased  influence — in 
fact,  one  may  really  read  more  interesting  first-hand 
news  of  film  doings  in  "Town  Talk"  than  in  some  of 
the  trade  issues.  Surely  no  newspaper,  daily  or  week- 
ly, not  entirely  given  over  to  studio  activities  can 
claim  to  compare  with  the  little  Newark  weekly, 
which  is  to  be  found  on  the  desks  of  producers,  edi- 
tors and  directors  in  all  the  studios. 

In  March,  1914,  the  publishers  of  the  "Photoplay 
Magazine"  launched  as  an  annex  to  that  publication  a 
most  inviting  little  monthly,  entitled  "The  Photoplay 
Scenario." 

In  appearance  and  in  its  make-up  generally,  the  lit- 
tle magazine  resembles  "The  Photoplay  Author" — the 
oldest  of  periodicals  of  this  nature  existent.  Interest 
in  the  newer  arrival,  however,  has  been  sufficient  to 
indicate  how  large  is  the  public  which  such  publica- 
tions can  appeal  to.  Even  now  the  number  of  dis- 
tinctly scenario  magazines  is  as  large  as  that  of  the 
musical  or  dramatic  fields,  nor  is  there  any  evidence  at 
hand  to  indicate  that  interest  in  such  publications  will 
decline  in  the  near  future.  Some  persons  believe  that 
the  plethora  of  stage  plays  makes  for  a  retrograde 
movement  for  the  scenario  writer,  whereas  just  the 
contrary  is  the  case.  Stage  plays  require  the  aid  of 
the  scenario  expert  quite  as  much  as  the  original  pho- 
toplay, and  while  this  feature  is  looked  after  by  staff 
writers  in  the  studios,  the  attention  necessary  creates 
a  larger  market  for  real  film  plots. 

Besides,  the  present  vogue  of  stage  plays  is  likely  to 


of    Science sis 

be  only  a  temporary  source  of  supply ;  should  the  craze 
exhaust  itself  within  a  year  or  two — as  many  experi- 
enced men  believe — the  demand  for  big  features  origi- 
nally conceived  for  the  screen  will  be  far  greater  than 
before.  Moreover,  the  higher  prices  of  admission  and 
the  inspiring  spectacle  of  a  dozen  playhouses  in  New 
York's  theatre  zone  presenting  photoplays  to  much  the 
same  public  as  the  spoken  play,  must  bring  about  an 
insistent  demand  for  the  highest  grade  authors  to  en- 
ter the  field.  This  does  not  mean  that  the  latter  will 
be  represented  by  celebrities.  On  the  contrary,  much 
is  expected  from  authors  who  have  never  achieved 
fame  as  playwrights  or  as  novelists,  but  who  have  re- 
vealed through  their  scenarios  a  complete  grasp  of  the 
technique  of  the  new  art. 

Such  photoplaywrights  as  Bannister  Merwin,  Mark 
Swan,  Monte  Kattejohn,  William  Tremayne,  Captain 
Peacocke,  Ashley  Miller,  Richard  Washburn  Child,  and 
many  others,  are  just  commencing  to  embrace  the  mul- 
tiple-reel proposition,  and  in  every  studio  aside  from 
the  staff  writers  the  producer  has  at  his  call  a  wealth 
of  photoplay  timber  among  the  players  themselves.  In 
the  Edison  and  Vitagraph  organizations  alone  there 
are  a  score  of  such  actor-authors,  from  whom  the  great 
photoplays  of  to-morrow  are  as  likely  to  come  as  from 
any  source  one  may  point  to. 

And  with  productions  like  "Neptune's  Daughter," 
"The  Sea  Wolf,"  "Antony  and  Cleopatra,"  "Les  Mise- 
rables,"  and  the  productions  of  the  Famous  Players, 
Lasky,  and  "The- All-Star"  companies,  attracting  at  the 
box  office  gross  receipts  .on  a  par  with  those  of  the 
spoken  drama,  the  day  cannot  be  far  off  when  the 
present  custom  of  according  to  the  author  merely  a 
stipulated  compensation  will  be  replaced  by  a  system 


314  Cfte   Cfteatte 

of  royalties  which  in  due  course  must  result  in  a 
healthy  competition  for  the  services  of  authors  who  up 
to  now  have  been  reluctant  to  give  their  best  efforts  to 
the  work. 

The  enormous  receipts  recorded  by  Rex  Beach's 
"The  Spoilers,"  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  has 
opened  the  eyes  of  the  established  producers,  who  are 
now  enabled  to  negotiate  with  the  theatrical  syndi- 
cates on  practically  the  same  lines  as  the  spoken  play 
producer;  hence  such  productions  can  be  booked  in 
theatres  of  the  first  grade,  where  the  local  manage- 
ment, with  reduced  expenses  and  at  least  two  perform- 
ances daily,  can  make  a  larger  profit — even  on  the 
same  percentage  basis — than  with  the  average  stage 
production. 

We  are  right  now  in  the  thick  of  development  of 
what  is  often  referred  to  as  "the  author  problem." 
Everything  points  to  a  division  of  film  activities  into 
two  classes:  The  feature  productions  in  first-class 
playhouses,  and  the  always  compelling  program  that 
is  meted  out  to  the  exhibitor  in  the  nickel  and  dime 
houses,  though  it  is  likely  also  that  a  third  policy  will 
find  favor  at  admission  prices  between  those  charged 
in  the  two  classes  named.  The  policy  of  the  Strand 
Theatre  in  New  York  is  unique  in  itself,  because  of 
the  vast  seating  capacity;  but  the  theatres  of  Marcus 
Loew,  William  Fox,  F.  F.  Proctor,  and  others  operat- 
ing along  similar  lines  will  undoubtedly  specialize  with 
feature  films  at  a  scale  of  prices  between  five  and  fifty 
cents. 

Through  the  three  grades  the  one  great  figure  to 
loom  up  largely  on  the  horizon  is  the  author.  The 
present  year  of  1914  should  witness  the  spectacle  of 
royalties  on  every  foot  of  film  manufactured  for  a  no- 


of    Science 


table  film  production,  and  with  this  welcome  move- 
ment will  also  come  an  end  to  the  mutilation  of  the 
scenario  in  the  studios  by  editors  and  directors  alike, 
for  the  producer  will  not  grant  royalties  to  an  author 
whose  work  requires  revision. 

The  advent  of  the  feature  film  and  the  coming  into 
filmdom  of  the  majority  of  the  best-known  players 
of  the  speaking  stage  has  induced  the  producers  to 
establish  publicity  departments,  with  a  result  that  is 
best  described  by  the  statement  of  a  well-known  the- 
atrical manager,  who,  in  the  effort  to  secure  a  com- 
petent advance  agent  capable  of  preparing  acceptable 
"copy/*  remarked  that  he  would  pay  $10,000  a  year 
for  any  one  of  a  half-dozen  gentlemen  whom  he 
named.  "But  they  are  all  holding  long-time  contracts 
with  the  big  film  concerns,"  he  insisted. 

The  vogue  of  moving  pictures  has  been  a  blessing, 
indeed,  for  the  men,  and  not  a  few  women,  who  have 
been  identified  with  the  business  department  of  the 
theatre  and  where  a  year  ago  this  class  of  workers 
was  in  Ittle  demand,  to-day  the  "Rialto"  has  been 
emptied  of  clever  advance  and  press  agents.  I  can 
hardly  name  a  recognized  publicity  man  who  is  not 
now  firmly  entrenched  in  commodious  and  elaborately 
appointed  offices  attached  to  the  studios.  The  pub- 
licity offices  of  the  Vitagraph  Company,  presided  over 
by  the  veteran,  Sam  Spedon,  are  a  sight  to  behold. 
One  would  imagine  that  these  offices  were  nothing  less 
than  a  clearing-house  for  the  entire  film  industry. 
When  I  think  of  the  "hole  in  the  wall"  that  is  granted 
to  the  press  departments  even  in  the  largest  of  our 
theatrical  institutions,  the  environment  of  Spedon's  ac- 
tivities is  all  the  more  impressive. 

In  the  Mecca  Building,  Willard  Holcomb  has  offices 


316 Cftc   Cfreatte 

in  the  Kinemacolor  .suite.  Mr.  Holcomb  was  one  of 
the  first  of  the  high-grade  writers  to  find  a  comfort- 
able berth  in  the  gold-laden  film  field.  Erstwhile  critic, 
author  of  a  half-dozen  successful  plays  and  operas,  and 
formerly  one  of  the  highest-salaried  advance  men  in 
the  country,  Holcomb  has  never  been  so  active  a  fac- 
tor in  the  amusement  field  as  at  this  time,  and  the  of- 
ficers of  the  Kinemacolor  Company  quickly  discovered 
his  value. 

In  the  same  building  where  the  Universal  Film  Com- 
pany has  its  business  address,  the  publicity  depart- 
ment is  in  charge  of  Joe  Brandt,  and  this  is  a  name 
to  conjure  with  in  the  film  world,  for  Brandt  is  es- 
sentially a  product  of  the  industry  and  is  one  of  the 
few  men  to  hold  his  position  when  the  day  came  for 
big  things  in  a  publicity  way  in  the  larger  producing 
companies.  The  Universal  has  an  advertising  equip- 
ment to-day  that  would  cause  the  Barnums  and  Hav- 
erlys  of  other  days  to  look  on  in  amazement.  Its  an- 
nual expenditure  for  publicity  is  now  half  a  million 
dollars.  The  Universal  has  a  house  organ  called  "The 
Universal  Weekly/'  edited  by  George  Urie  Stevenson. 

At  29  Union  Square,  in  the  only  Broadway  film 
studio  existant,  Philip  Mindil  has  charge  of  the  Mutual 
Film  Company's  advertising  plant.  About  the  time 
Mindil  became  identified  with  this  company  the  lat- 
ter inaugurated  a  campaign  of  unusual  publicity,  pay- 
ing as  high  as  $4,500  for  single  announcements  in 
magazines,  with  no  other  purpose  in  view  than  to  ben- 
efit the  exhibitors  exploiting  its  product;  in  fact,  the 
announcements  were  of  that  character  such  as  the  tele- 
phone or  the  phonograph  companies  are  wont  to  issue 
broadcast.  National  in  their  scope  and  directed  to  the 
attention  of  the  general  public,  I  believe  that  this  was 


of    Science 


the  first  advertising  campaign  of  the  kind  ever  under- 
taken to  exploit  an  amusement  enterprise,  and  its  effect 
is  seen  to-day  in  the  tremendous  increase  in  publicity 
appropriations  of  all  the  larger  producing  concerns. 
The  Mutual  Film  Company  issues  a  weekly  house  or- 
gan called  "Reel  Life,"  of  which  Mr.  Mindil  is  the  edi- 
tor and  William  H.  Peckham  the  business  manager. 
"Reel  Life"  has  found  its  way  on  the  news-stands  and 
in  appearance  is  much  like  the  magazines.  One  may 
not  be  far  amiss  in  assuming  that  the  house  organ 
is  due  to  extend  its  usefulness,  and  with  the  increase 
in  public  interest  the  number  of  such  publications  com- 
peting with  the  trade  weeklies  will  be  limited  only  to 
the  capacity  of  the  industry  itself,  for  even  the  smal- 
ler manufacturers  of  film  issue  a  pamphlet.  The  ten- 
dency to  enlarge  and  elaborate  is  in  evidence  with  all. 
L.  C.  McChesney,  advertising  manager  of  the  Edi- 
son Company,  presides  over  what  is  one  of  the  larg- 
est amusement  outputs  in  the  amusement  field,  for 
after  all  the  phonograph  talking  pictures  and  other 
devices  emanating  from  the  Edison  studios,  like  the 
motion  picture,  come  under  the  head  of  public  enter- 
tainment; hence  Mr.  McChesney's  activities  are  mani- 
fold, yet  no  man  whom  I  can  recall  was  ever  so  reluc- 
tant to  appear  in  the  limelight  personally.  The  por- 
trait of  Mr.  McChesney  reproduced  here  was  secured 
only  after  persistent  persuasion.  He  never  tires  of 
exploiting  "the  wizard"  and  his  inventions,  but  though 
his  own  career  is  replete  with  interesting  experiences, 
his  name  appears  less  frequently  in  print  than  those 
of  the  "near-press  agents"  with  which  the  film  indus- 
try abounds.  The  Edison  Company  issues  now  a 
monthly  bijou  magazine  called  "The  Kinetogram," 
strictly  confined  to  the  releases  of  the  company  itself. 


318 Cfre   Cfreatte 

In  Lubinville,  Harry  A-  D'Arcy  is  the  head  of  one 
of  the  best-equipped  publicity  plants  in  the  country. 
Mr.  D'Arcy  is  an  old-time  showman  who  has  occu- 
pied every  position  in  the  business  as  well  as  artistic 
side  of  the  theatre  almost  from  childhood.  In  the  days 
when  I  was  an  avant  courier,  D'Arcy  was  one  of 
the  few  men  traveling  "ahead"  of  stars  and  combina- 
tions, who  made  me  take  cognizance  of  his  presence 
in  the  same  town.  Instead  of  standing  on  street  cor- 
ners, proclaiming  the  "scoops"  he  had  achieved,  he  was 
invariably  to  be  found  at  the  billposter's,  and  he  was 
not  averse  to  donning  a  suit  of  overalls  when  occasion 
called  for  it. 

D'Arcy's  "copy,"  too,  was  of  the  kind  welcomed  in 
editorial  sanctums,  and  he  established  himself  all  over 
the  country  as  a  writer  who  could  evolve  a  real  story 
that  had  news  value  apart  from  the  natural  exploita- 
tion of  his  attraction.  I  can  say  of  him  that  he  is  one 
of  the  few  survivors  of  a  theatrical  era  when  the  busi- 
ness department  was  in  the  hands  of  one  man,  who 
had  to  do  the  routing,  the  advertising  and  everything 
else  except  "count  up,"  yet  who  to-day  has  nothing  to 
fear  from  the  younger  generation  in  his  line  of  endeav- 
or, who  has  kept  apace  with  modernism  and  who  has 
adapted  himself  to  his  present  important  position  so 
well  that  his  name  is  conspicuous  in  almost  every  pro- 
gressive movement  for  uplift  in  matters  of  material 
moment  in  the  industry. 

The  writer  recalls  vividly  the  day  when  D'Arcy's 
poem,  "The  Face  Upon  the  Floor,"  first  attracted  at- 
tention. If  he  ever  made  a  dollar  from  this  remarkable 
effort  I  never  heard  of  it,  unless  it  be  true  that  the 
Poem-o-Graph  Company,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  is  recog- 
nizing the  author's  rights  in  the  theme  it  has  so  in- 


ti  t    S>  t  i  e  n  t  e  319 

geniously  visualized,  also  synchronizing  the  pictures 
with  the  phonograph  records. 

Aside  from  this  evidently  authorized  production 
of  an  all-compelling  masterpiece,  I  never  heard  of  any 
one  of  the  many  performers  utilizing  the  poem  on  the 
stage  sending  D'Arcy  a  check.  Sam  Bernard  is  what 
he  is  to-day  greatly  through  the  "hit"  he  scored  with 
"The  Face  Upon  the  Floor."  For  several  years  he 
featured  it  in  his  monologue  in  vaudeville  and  with 
burlesque  companies.  Moreover,  it  was  this  same 
poem  that  first  established  the  dialect  comedian  on 
the  Broadway  he  is  now  such  a  part  of. 

William  Wright  is  the  publicity  head  of  the  Kalem 
Company.  The  Kalems,  while  advertising  in  the  trade 
issues  extensively,  have  been  ultra-conservative  as 
far  as  exploiting  its  stars,  or  even  its  truly  notable  pro- 
ductions. While  the  Kalem's  production  of  "From  the 
Manger  to  the  Cross"  was  the  first  to  be  accorded  from 
one  to  four  pages  in  the  big  city  Sunday  newspapers, 
there  is  nothing  at  hand  to  indicate  that  this  tribute 
was  not  genuine,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  the  publicity 
department  of  the  company  took  the  initiative  in  this. 

Many  there  are  who  cannot  conceive  what  the  mo- 
tive has  been  for  the  failure  to  present  this  Biblical 
masterpiece  for  prolonged  runs  in  the  larger  cities. 
Certain  it  is  that  in  New  York  City  not  the  least  ef- 
fort was  made  to  give  the  public  the  benefit  of  an  un- 
dertaking in  which  public  spirit,  combined  with  cease- 
less toil  and  incalculable  expenditure,  brought  about 
an  achievement  over  which  the  majority  of  mankind 
would  rave  far  more  than  it  did  over  "Parsifal"  or 
"Quo  Vadis?" 

But  if  you  would  stand  on  any  prominent  corner  in 
the  metropolis  and  question  the  first  one  hundred  men 


320  Cfte   Cfteatte 

and  women  who  pass  by,  you  will  be  told  by  at  least 
ninety  per  cent,  of  all  that  they  had  never  had  an  op- 
portunity to  see  the  production.  Elsewhere  in  this  vol- 
ume Sid  Olcott,  who  produced  the  epochal  work  for 
the  Kalem's,  contributes  an  article  in  which  he,  too, 
expresses  amazement  over  the  extraordinary  condition 
to  which  I  have  referred. 

I  do  not  believe  that  such  productions  should  be  re- 
vealed in  a  playhouse.  The  vogue  of  such  spectacles 
as  "The  Life  of  Our  Saviour"  would  be  far  greater  if 
an  effort  was  made  to  present  them  in  an  environment 
wholly  untheatrical.  I  have  been  informed  that  Wil- 
liam Faversham  has  been  impressed  with  the  value  of 
one  production  of  this  character,  which  was  wholly 
sacrificed  by  an  astute  showman  who  failed  to  recog- 
nize that  "The  Miracle"  required  different  exploita- 
tion from  that  which  Mr.  Woods  is  wont  to  invest 
his  attractions  with,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  Mr. 
Faversham's  presentation  of  "The  Miracle,"  with  ap- 
propriate environment  and  adequate  musical  setting, 
will  so  impress  the  Kalem  Company  that  the  ninety 
per  cent,  of  our  people  who  have  not  had  an  invitation 
to  witness  their  own  Biblical  spectacle,  may  yet  con- 
vince that  enterprising  producing  house  that  such  ef- 
forts are  truly  worth  while. 

The  publicity  end  of  the  vast  Selig  institution  al- 
ways was  in  competent  hands,  the  long-time  incum- 
bent being  Stanley  Twist,  a  man  of  letters,  who  was, 
indeed,  prolific  in  suggesting  innovations  long  before 
the  days  when  magazine  and  newspaper  editors  were 
in  a  receptive  state  for  propositions  they  now  accept 
with  alacrity.  The  present  publicity  chief  is  Charles 
E.  Nixon,  whom  I  have  known  for  more  than  thirty- 


of    Science 321 

five  years,  and  who  has,  during  all  of  that  time,  been 
identified  with  the  press. 

Mr.  Nixon  was  on  the  staff  of  the  Chicago  "Inter- 
Ocean"  practically  throughout  his  editorial  career  as 
dramatic  and  musical  critic,  and  his  acquaintance  with 
the  stage  and  its  people  is  so  intimate  and  prolonged 
that  I  am  venturing  the  belief  that  his  activities  in  the 
Selig  house  have  not  been  confined  to  publicity.  The 
influence  of  Nixon  undoubtedly  has  contributed  no  lit- 
tle part  in  the  many  Selig  scoops  and  innovations.  On 
the  other  hand,  Mr.  Selig's  general  manager,  John  F. 
Pribyl,  has  been  an  active  factor  in  the  Selig  develop- 
ment. The  American  Biograph  Company  was  prac- 
tically the  last  of  the  big  film  producers  to  capitulate 
to  the  publicity  call.  Even  now  its  policy  is  distinct- 
ively conservative,  and  the  names  of  its  directors  and 
players  are  withheld  from  the  general  public,  save  as 
they  are  revealed  by  the  trade  issues,  yet  one  may  ob- 
serve a  tendency  to  bow  to  the  conditions  created  by 
an  overwhelming  public  interest  in  the  photoplayers. 
More  of  the  latter  have  graduated  from  the  Biograph 
studios  to  become  celebrated  in  other  companies  than 
from  all  of  its  competitors  combined. 

The  Biograph  Company  was,  indeed,  a  school  for 
the  photoplayer.  Particularly  is  this  true  of  its  com- 
edy exponents.  Whether  the  secrecy  it  established  so 
insistently  was  due  to  its  leading  director,  D.  W.  Grif- 
fith, or  not,  it  is  known  that  this  wizard  of  picturedom 
has  always  held  that  the  glamor  of  the  theatre  should 
not  surround  the  photoplayer,  and  undoubtedly  the 
many  stars  of  the  screen  of  to-day  who  began  under 
Griffith  as  "extras,"  owe  their  present  vogue  to  his 
teachings — a  statement  born  out  by  the  fact  that  si- 
multaneously with  Mr.  Griffith's  departure  from  the 


322 Cfte   C&eatre 

Biograph  studio  a  group  of  that  company's  long-time 
favorites  went  along  with  him  and  are  now  in  Los  An- 
geles, as  heavily  featured  stars  of  the  Mutual  produc- 
tions. 

But  the  Biograph  Company,  while  still  reluctant  to 
take  the  public  into  its  confidence,  is  operating  other- 
wise in  progressive  fashion.  The  last  of  Mr.  Griffith's 
productions,  "Judith  of  Bethulia,"  was  unquestionably 
his  best.  How  true  the  reports  of  this  director's  an- 
nual honorarium  are,  may  only  be  conjectured,  but  if 
any  director  of  photoplays  is  worth  the  almost  un- 
believable total  of  $100,000  a  year,  it  is  surely  the  one 
who  produced  "Judith,"  and  if  it  is  also  true  that  Grif- 
fith's power  and  ammunition  has  been  greatly  aug- 
mented through  the  change  of  environment,  the  forth- 
coming Mutual  releases  should  be  eagerly  awaited. 

When  the  Famous  Players'  Film  Company  was  or- 
ganized by  Adolph  Zukor,  this  gentleman  was  insis- 
tent that  each  department  should  be  presided  over  by 
the  most  adept  exponent  in  each  line,  hence,  as  B.  P. 
Schulberg  had  attracted  much  attention  through  his 
methods  while  publicity  head  for  the  Universal  film 
company,  Mr.  Zukor  engaged  the  young  man  who 
has  since  become  quite  famous  himself  as  "the  man 
who  delivered  Adolph  Zukor's  message  to  the  world." 

H.  C.  Hoagland  has  been,  up  to  very  recently,  the 
medium  of  expression  for  the  publicity  end  of  the 
great  house  of  Pathe  Freres.  Being  a  man  of  literary 
attainments  and  author  of  at  least  one  volume  on  pho- 
toplay construction,  the  "copy"  emanating  from  Hoag- 
land's  desk  has  always  been  welcomed  by  editors;  in 
fact,  some  of  the  first  full-page  articles  published  in 
the  big  dailies  were  evolved  by  Hoagland,  who  is  now 
assistant  to  the  general  manager ;  for,  be  it  known,  the 


MAX  SPIEGEL 
One  of  the  owners  of  the  Strand  Theatre, 
'rk  City 


S.  LEE  KOHN 

Successful  Film  Exhibitor 


A.  H.  SAWYER 

A  powerful  factor  in  the  film  industry 


N.  T.  GKANLUND 

Publicity  Manager  for  Marcus  Loew's 
Enterprises 


FELIX  FEIST 

Manager  Celebrated  Players  Film  Co. 


JOSEPH  BRANDT 

Advertising  Matager  Universal  Film  Co 


of    Defence  323 

American  branch  of  Pathe  Freres  has  grown  into  an 
institution  as  vast  as  any  of  its  American  competitors. 
"The  Pathe  Weekly,"  the  first  of  the  now-common 
pictorial  news  issues,  was  first  released  in  1908  in 
Paris.  The  American  "Weekly"  was  first  revealed  on 
the  screen  in  1910,  and  quickly  became  an  institution 
in  itself.  In  1913  Mr.  Hoagland  was  succeeded  by  P. 
Allen  Parsons,  and  simultaneously  with  his  advent  a 
campaign  of  publicity,  national  in  its  scope,  was  inaug- 
urated for  the  company's  American  releases.  The 
Melies  Film  Company,  up  to  very  recently,  confined 
its  releases  to  productions  quite  different  in  character 
from  those  of  its  colleagues  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Patents  Company,  its  stock  companies  being  trans- 
ported to  far-off  countries  in  an  effort  to  reveal  on  the 
screen  the  customs  of  strange  peoples,  as  well  as  the 
scenery  of  unfamiliar  locales;  hence,  the  publicity 
which  has  been  looked  after  by  Paul  Melies  has  in- 
variably typified  this  distinctive  character  of  its  prod- 
uct, but  lately  the  Melies  Company  has  found  it  ad- 
visable to  present  photoplays  of  about  the  same  style 
as  have  found  favor  generally  in  the  industry. 

The  Essanay  Company,  controlled  by  Messrs.  Geo. 
K.  Spoor  and  Gilbert  M.  Anderson,  began  to  adver- 
tise on  a  big  scale  when  its  Western  features,  pro- 
duced and  usually  written  and  acted  in  by  the  last- 
named  gentleman,  created  quite  a  sensation.  Don  C. 
Meaney  is  the  Essanay  mouthpiece,  and  a  vigorous 
toiler  is  he.  Inasmuch  as  the  productions  of  the  "Bron- 
cho Billy"  class  find  favor  throughout  the  world,  one 
may  comprehend  why  more  lithographs  of  these  re- 
leases go  to  foreign  countries  than  are  used  here 
"The  Essanay  News"  (house  organ)  is  equal  in  size 
to  the  average  big-city  daily  and  it  is  rare,  indeed, 


324  Cfte   C&eatre 

that  its  weekly  issue  does  not  include  at  least  one  in- 
forming story  of  film  history  worthy  of  preservation. 

Of  all  the  larger  film  companies  which  banded  to- 
gether on  one  side  or  the  other,  none  have  attained 
greater  heights  from  a  modest  start  than  the  American 
Film  Company,  a  Chicago  institution,  which  has  stead- 
ily improved  the  artistic  grade  of  its  productions  until 
to-day  its  productivity  is  attracting  the  attention  of 
the  foremost  literary  and  historical  authorities.  The 
advances  made  by  the  American  Company  reflect  the 
persistent  uplifting  efforts  of  S.  S.  Hutchison  and 
R.  R.  Nehls.  The  last  named  in  his  capacity  of  pub- 
licity promoter,  has  originated  not  a  few  standard 
phrases  which  have  been  effective  in  typifying  the 
company's  output  on  the  screen,  such  as  "The  Flying 
A,"  and  "See  Americans  First."  The  last,  while  not 
new,  represents  originality  in  its  present  application. 

The  influence  of  Lorimer  Johnston,  the  American's 
chief  director,  is  indicated  not  only  in  the  high  char- 
acter of  recent  releases,  but  in  the  "team  work"  of  the 
stock  companies,  and  the  tendency  of  late  to  delve  deep 
into  the  classics  of  ancient  literature  has  caused  more 
than  one  writer  to  point  to  this  company  as  the  one 
most  worthy  of  emulation. 

As  stated  elsewhere  in  the  volume,  Mr.  Johnston 
has  retired  from  the  American  Film  Company  to  be- 
come the  head  of  the  Santa  Barbara  Film  Com- 
pany. Mr.  Johnston  is  succeeded  by  Sydney  Ayres,  a 
sterling  photoplayer,  who,  like  so  many  others  in  the 
moving  picture  field,  has  developed  ability  as  a  di- 
rector. Mr.  Ayres,  however,  will  not  retire  altogether 
as  an  actor,  though  he  is  succeeded  as  the  American's 
leading  player  by  William  Garwood,  long  with  the 


of    Science 325 

Thanhouser  and  Majestic  Companies,  a  man  of  pre- 
possessing personality  and  much  dramatic  force. 

The  Eclair-American  Company  has  forged  ahead  in 
recent  years  to  an  extent  hardly  expected  when  the 
big  foreign  institution  established  an  American 
branch.  The  policy  of  this  company  is  decidedly  con- 
servative, particularly  so  far  as  any  publicity  being 
encouraged  for  any  of  its  officers.  Bert  Ennis,  how- 
ever, as  the  publicity  chief,  has  managed  to  find  ways 
and  means  to  keep  the  name  of  his  company  on  the 
moving  picture  map.  The  Eclair  Company  issues  a 
house  organ  or  bulletin  twice  a  month. 

With  Harry  R.  Raver  and  Joseph  Farnham  in  charge 
of  the  business  and  publicity  departments,  the  All-Star 
Feature  Film  Company,  of  which  Augustus  Thomas  is 
the  artistic  head,  has  not  lacked  conspicuous  represen- 
tation in  the  general  scheme  of  things.  As  a  fact,  Mr. 
Farnham  has  succeeded  in  placing  any  number  of  fea- 
ture stories  for  the  New  York  newspapers.  These  sto- 
ries were  not  film  stories,  however,  but  were  invari- 
ably confined  to  very  readable  subject  matter  anent 
the  star  players.  In  no  instance  can  I  recall  where 
such  stories  were  not  replete  with  news  value,  aside 
from  the  effort  to  advertise  the  company's  productions. 
To  evolve  a  story  calculated  to  advertise  one's  prod- 
uct and  yet  conceal  this  aim,  is  an  art  in  itself,  and 
the  average  editor  is  wont  to  appreciate  such  a  gift 
from  whence  it  comes. 

Harry  Reichenbach  has  assumed  the  sole  direction 
of  the  extensive  publicity  campaign  inaugurated  with 
the  advent  of  the  Lasky  Film  Company,  and  there  has 
been  no  better  work  of  the  kind  in  the  entire  industry. 
In  another  chapter  Charles  M.  Seay  is  aptly  quoted 
as  stating  that  the  "theatrical  movement"  in  the  new 


326  Cfte   C&eatre 

field  may  contribute  one  or  two  permanent  acquisi- 
tions to  the  established  producers.  Perhaps  he  had 
in  mind  the  Lasky  firm,  for  one.  Mr.  Lasky  surely  did 
a  lot  of  uplifting  for  the  vaudeville  stage,  and  he  has 
gone  about  his  film  productions  with  the  same  vigor 
and  determination,  surrounding  himself  with  a  capable 
staff,  and  it  may  be  that  he  will  undertake  to  produce 
original  photoplays. 

Elmer  McGovern,  in  charge  of  the  publicity  depart- 
ment of  the  New  York  Motion  Picture  Company  and 
its  affiliated  concerns,  is  a  quiet,  serious-minded  man, 
with  a  capacity  for  prodigious  work.  He  reaches  his 
offices  long  before  the  theatrical  district's  daily  activi- 
ties begin,  and  he  is  always  to  be  located,  possessing 
none  of  the  objectionable  traits  so  common  among  men 
in  similar  positions  of  far  less  importance. 

P.  Allen  Parsons  has  succeeded  H.  C.  Hoagland  in 
the  direction  of  the  tremendous  publicity  emanating 
from  the  house  of  Pathe  Freres,  and  the  year  1914, 
with  its  maze  of  productions  in  conjunction  with  news- 
papers and  magazines  has  required  no  little  ability  to 
handle  the  advertising  end  of  these,  but  Mr.  Parsons 
no  longer  has  to  contend  with  the  reluctancy  of  the 
editorial  faction  to  accept  "copy" ;  on  the  contrary,  the 
news  gatherer  of  the  big  dailies  now  presents  himself 
in  the  film  producer's  offices  daily  in  the  effort  to  ob- 
tain the  latest  film  news. 

Bert  Adler  has  been  the  mouthpiece  to  express  the 
tidings  of  the  Thanhouser  productions  since  the  in- 
ception of  the  New  Rochelle  institution,  and  he  has 
been  truly  no  small  factor  in  the  growth  of  an  enter- 
prise launched  six  years  ago  amidst  the  protests  of 
more  than  one  of  its  rivals,  not  one  of  whom  has  kept 
greater  pace  with  the  uplift  of  a  great  industry.  To- 


of    Science  327 

day  Mr.  Adler  is  about  as  active  a  figure  as  one  may 
find  in  the  field  of  scientific  public  entertaining. 

Besides  the  Thanhouser  brand  of  film,  Adler  looks 
after  the  publicity  of  the  Majestic  and  Princess  pro- 
ductions, and  it  is  said  he  has  never  been  away  from 
his  New  Rochelle  office  for  more  than  twenty-four 
hours.  Though  Mr.  Kite  has  just  appointed  Adler  as 
traveling  representative  of  the  various  interests  he 
controls,  there  will  be  no  change  as  far  as  the  pub- 
licity end  of  the  same  is  concerned.  The  six  years  of 
service  Adler  has  given  to  his  employer  have  made 
his  reputation  nation  wide,  and  his  travels  about  the 
country  should  provide  no  end  of  interesting  subject 
matter  for  the  "copy"  he  so  delights  in  issuing. 

Chester  Beecroft  is  often  referred  to  as  "the  man 
with  the  lofty  ideals,"  because  he  has  been  a  prime 
factor  in  establishing  many  reforms,  some  of  which 
were  accomplished  without  the  least  benefit  to  him- 
self. A  former  newspaper  man  and  a  born  adver- 
tiser, Beecroft  probably  obtained  the  better  part  of 
his  experience  while  identified  with  "Billboard's"  edi- 
torial staff.  As  a  writer  on  that  widely  circulated  trade 
issue  he  was  ever  endeavoring  to  influence  the  pro- 
ducer and  exhibitor  to  eliminate  some  of  the  now- 
forgotten  catch-penny  devices  that  gave  to  the  primi- 
tive period  of  the  picture  theatres  a  ballyhoo  flavor. 

While  with  the  General  Film  Company  Beecroft  at- 
tracted no  little  attention  throughout  the  industry  by 
the  sincerity  with  which  he  undertook  to  convince  the 
hostile  editors  that  the  leaders  of  the  film  industry 
were  not  lacking  in  public  spirit,  that  they  were  trying 
to  raise  the  level  of  their  productions  and  to  elimi- 
nate primitive  methods  born  in  a  less  enlightened  era. 
Beecroft  also  was  persistent  in  his  effort  to  induce 


328 C6e   Cfteatte 

the  exhibitors  of  film  to  keep  the  lights  on  during 
the  entertainments  in  their  theatres,  thus  safeguarding 
women  and  children. 

Where  Beecroft*  is  now,  I  am  not  able  to  state,  but 
as  I  believe  he  was  the  first  to  convince  an  important 
newspaper  editor  of  the  demand  for  special  film  de- 
partments, it  is  not  likely  that  he  is  idle  in  these  days 
of  affiliation  between  the  studios  and  the  press. 

Writing  of  the  General  Film  Company  calls  to  mind 
that  not  even  the  prolonged  supremacy  of  the  so-called 
theatrical  syndicate  revealed  any  such  control  of  its 
clientage  as  that  which  characterizes  the  business  pro- 
cedure of  the  largest  film  distributing  concern  in  the 
world.  This  company  stands  to-day  practically  the 
same  as  it  was  at  organization — without  a  single  break 
in  its  ranks  and  no  permanent  additions,  save  that  it 
has  included,  at  rare  intervals,  in  its  service  the  pro- 
ductions of  one  or  two  newcomers  in  the  producing 
field,  such  as  the  Famous  Players'  output. 

That  the  General  Film  Company  has  provided  am- 
ple protection  to  the  allied  producers  which  banded 
together  at  the  outset  of  the  motion  picture  vogue, 
none  can  question,  nor  is  there  any  indication  of  any 
change  in  its  policy  to  meet  the  new  conditions  cre- 
ated through  the  quite  general  advent  in  picturedom 
of  stage  producers,  though  many  experienced  persons 
believe  that  we  are  approaching  the  time  when  the- 
atrical methods  of  booking  will  replace  the  present 
exchange  system. 

Others  believe  quite  sensibly  that  the  low-priced  pic- 
ture show  will  always  survive.  This  view  is  evidently 
held  also  by  the  established  producers,  all  of  whom 
are  releasing  as  many  single  reels  as  before  the  ar- 

*  Mr.  Beecroft  joined  David  Ho  rsley  in  June,   1914. 


tif    Science  329 

rival  of  the  two-hour  photoplay.  The  question  as  to 
the  influence  of  the  larger  productions  on  the  photo- 
play house  of  limited  seating  capacity  is,  indeed,  an 
important  one.  Nevertheless,  the  foundation  of  mo- 
tion picture  prosperity  was  the  nickel  and  dime  houses, 
and  their  vogue  is  not  likely  to  pass  in  the  near  fu- 
ture. At  the  time  of  this  writing  there  has  been  made 
public  what  appears  to  be  the  first  friction  between 
a  producing  concern  and  the  General  Film  Company. 
The  American  branch  of  the  famous  Pathe  Freres 
has  indicated  a  possible  ending  of  its  relations  with 
the  former  company,  but  the  Pathe  organization  has 
been  rather  an  auxiliary  member  of  the  amalgamated 
American  Manufacturers,  and  the  cause  of  the  trouble 
is  the  recent  advent  of  the  Hearst-Selig  Pictorial  News, 
which  the  Messrs.  Pathe  insist  is  being  favored  by 
the  General  Film  Company  to  the  exclusion  of  the 
celebrated  Pathe  Weekly,  the  first  of  the  animated 
weeklies  to  appear,  both  here  and  abroad,  as  stated 
elsewhere  in  this  volume. 


330  Cfte    Cfteatre 


CHAPTER  XVI 

In  1865  Mr.  Charles  B.  Kleine  established  himself 
in  the  City  of  New  York  as  a  manufacturing  optician 
whose  main  business  was  the  making  of  microscopes. 
Shortly  after  the  Civil  War  the  old-fashioned  oil  lamp 
stereopticon  became  more  or  less  popular,  and  Mr. 
Kleine  found  himself  dabbling  in  stereopticon  work  as 
a  side  issue.  It  remained  a  side  issue  until  he  thought 
of  adapting  the  calcium  light  to  the  oil  lamp  stereop- 
ticon. By  this  process  Mr.  Kleine  revolutionized  stere- 
opticon work  and  opened  a  great  field  for  lectures, 
which  has  been  popular  ever  since,  and  elevated  it 
from  a  home-talent  affair  into  a  genuine  profession. 

With  the  advent  of  moving  pictures  a  wider  scope 
of  operation  was  opened  for  this  concern,  and  Mr. 
Kleine  was  one  of  the  first  to  work  out  the  various 
problems  in  optics  as  applied  to  film  projection.  Pro- 
jection work  v/as  in  a  very  crude  and  unprofessional 
form  until  Mr.  Kleine  came  forth  with  the  combination 
dissolving  stereopticon  as  applied  to  the  moving  pic- 
ture machine,  and  from  that  time  on  projection  has 
risen  to  a  much  higher  plane. 

Last  year,  at  the  age  of  75,  Mr.  Kleine  retired,  and 


PAUL  CROMELIN 

American  Manager  London  Film  Co. 


HENRY  MESTRUM 

Present  head  of  the  pioneer  house  of  Charles 
B.  Kleine 


'THE  HOUSE  OF  TEMPERLEY 
(London  Film  Co.) 


'THE  HOUSE  OF  TEMPERLEY1 

(London  Film  Co.) 


A  Photoplay  with  the  So-called  "Punch" 


o  f    S  t  i  e  n  c  e  331 

his  work  is  continued  by  Mr.  Henry  Mestrum,  who 
has  been  active  with  Mr.  Kleine  for  many  years,  and 
who  is  holding  up  the  standard  of  the  oldest  projection 
concern  in  the  United  States. 

Carl  J.  Lang,  of  Olean,  N.  Y.,  is  one  of  the  rising 
generation  of  inventors  and  mechanics  who,  since  the 
first  problems  of  the  moving  picture's  mechanical  side 
have  been  solved,  has  materially  added  to  the  original  , 
creation  of  the  many  gentlemen  claiming  the  greater 
credit  for  the  perfection  of  the  mechanism  of  projec- 
tion. 

The  Lang  Film  Winder  and  the  Lang  Film  Reels 
are  used  in  the  leading  studios,  including  the  Edison, 
and  a  large  number  are  also  used  in  the  finishing  de- 
partment of  the  Eastman  Kodak  Company.  In  addi- 
tion no  less  than  7,500  theatres  large  and  small  use 
both  the  winder  and  the  reel,  while  over  2,000  have 
been  sent  abroad.  It  is  claimed  that  the  General  Film 
Company  and  its  competitor,  the  Mutual  Company, 
dispose  of  more  Lang  Winders  and  reels  than  all  other 
makes  combined. 

Mr.  Lang  is  an  industrious  worker,  ingratiating  in 
disposition,  and  his  annual  visit  to  the  metropolis  to 
attend  expositions  and  conventions  has  helped  greatly 
to  increase  his  influence  in  the  industry. 

One  of  the  best-known  film  exhibitors  and  manufac- 
turers in  the  United  States  is  F.  J.  Rembusch,  of  Shel-  <• 
byville,  Indiana.  Mr.  Rembusch  is  known  everywhere 
through  the  fact  that  he  has  been  instrumental  in  or* 
ganizing  the  exhibitors  of  Indiana,  was  National  Vice- 
President,  but  above  all  from  the  fact  that  he  is  at  the 
same  time  the  inventor  and  patentee  of  the  "Mirror* 
Screen,"  a  glass  curtain  that  has  greatly  advanced  mov- 
ing-picture projection.  There  is  probably  no  part  of 


332  Cije   Cfieatre 

the  equipment  of  moving-picture  theatres  that  is  so 
little  understood  as  the  screen,  and  this  is  natural  from 
the  fact  that  there  are  so  many  equations  entering  in 
the  matter  that  only  an  exhibitor  who  has  given  the 
theory  of  light  deep  study  fully  appreciates  its  impor- 
tance. 

For  over  ten  years  Mr.  Rembusch  has  been  experi- 
menting with  surfaces  of  all  kinds,  and  the  plate-glass 
"mirror  screen"  has  now  been  perfected  to  such  a  de- 
gree that  it  has  attained  the  highest  efficiency  in  re- 
flection combined  with  perfect  distribution  of  light. 
The  "Journal  of  the  American  Medical  Association," 
which  is  recognized  as  the  highest  authority,  recently 
in  commenting  upon  the  "movies"  and  the  eyes,  made 
the  statement  that  the  so-called  "Mirror  Screen," 
which  consisted  of  a  plate-glass  mirror  with  a  frosted 
surface,  is  the  easiest  upon  the  eyes. 

A  moving  picture  is  nothing  more  or  less  than  light. 
It  is  better  stated,  reflected  light.  Light  always  prop- 
agates in  straight  lines.  When  the  light  from  the  pro- 
jection machine  strikes  the  screen  it  depends  entirely 
upon  the  minute  depressions  of  the  surface  as  to  what 
angle  this  light  will  be  reflected. 

The  first  screens  that  were  used  were  the  white  wall 
or  sheet.  The  white  wall  or  sheet  has  one  commend- 
able virtue,  and  that  is  it  reflects  the  light  by  diffused 
reflection.  In  other  words,  it  is  a  dull  surface,  and  a 
dull  surface  is  the  only  proper  surface  to  use  for  a 
projection  screen  because  on  a  dull  surface  alone  does 
the  image  of  the  picture  become  visible.  A  shiny  sur- 
face is  always  very  hard  upon  the  eyes  and  at  the  same 
time  does  not  catch  the  picture  light,  it  simply  reflects 
glare.  But  the  white  wall  is  a  poor  distributor.  It 
has  poor  reflective  power,  and  furthermore  the  minute 


of    Defence  333 

depressions  in  comparison  with  the  wave  length  of  the 
light  beams  are  such  that  the  light  is  scattered  at  a 
very  wide  angle,  so  that  instead  of  reflecting  the  light 
toward  the  viewing  space,  over  60  per  cent,  of  it  is 
thrown  at  a  wide  angle  up  and  down  and  to  the  sides, 
so  that  this  light  never  reaches  the  eye  of  the  patron  of 
the  theatre  and  only  those  light  rays  returning  at  an 
angle  reflecting  toward  the  viewing  space  are  visible. 

The  principal  virtue  of  the  "Mirror  Screen,"  how- 
ever, is  in  producing  a  picture  that  has  perfect  per- 
spective. The  image  of  the  picture  is  caught  in  front 
of  a  mirror,  and  the  effect  is  the  same  as  if  you  are 
standing  in  front  of  a  mirror  you  see  yourself  reflected 
just  as  you  are,  with  perfect  roundness  and  a  stereo- 
scopic appearance. 

Cinematographic  writers  have  split  hairs  on  all 
other  points  of  projection,  but  seem  to  pass  the  screen 
over  without  even  comment.  At  the  same  time,  the 
screen  is  to  the  public  the  most  important  part  of  the 
theatre.  They  know  nothing  of  the  film  or  the  ma- 
chine, but  the  result  of  the  reflected  light  upon  the 
screen  is  very  important  to  them.  In  fact,  the  screen 
is  one  of  the  most  profound  problems  in  the  science  of 
projection.  It  is  to  be  deplored  that  exhibitors  gener- 
ally know  very  little  about  the  finer  arts  of  projec- 
tion. There  is  as  much  to  know  in  the  science  of  mov- 
ing-picture projection  as  there  is  in  the  science  of  med- 
icine, and  it  is  possible  to  improve  moving  pictures  100 
per  cent,  over  the  present  practice,  and  it  is  obvious 
that  100  per  cent,  improvement  would  mean  100  per 
cent,  more  interest  and  greater  patronage.  The  elim- 
ination of  flicker,  and  of  interfering  light;  better  and 
clearer  photography  by  the  manufacturers  of  films ;  the 
use  of  direct  current  entirely  and  then  the  installation 


334 Cfte    Cfteatre 

of  the  curtain  that  will  give  the  highest  and  greatest 
benefit  from  the  light  that  is  used  without  glare  and 
without  haze,  are  some  of  the  evils  that  are  to  be  over- 
come. 

Exhibitors  put  hundreds  and  thousands  of  dollars  on 
the  exterior,  and  pay  little  attention  to  the  interior,  and 
especially  to  the  picture  projection.  Exhibitors  only 
use  about  25  per  cent,  as  much  light  as  should  be  used. 
The  weak  light  and  the  dull  image  projected  is  the 
cause  of  much  eye  strain,  the  same  as  trying  to  read 
in  a  room  where  there  is  not  sufficient  light  produces 
eye  strain. 

One  of  the  most  detrimental  sources  of  eye  strain  is 
the  use  by  many  exhibitors  of  shiny-surface  screens. 
The  shiny-surfaced  screens  are  made  by  painting  with 
aluminum  or  gold  bronze,  and  all  the  elements  of  shine 
in  them  don't  reflect  a  picture;  they  simply  make  a 
glare.  The  elements  of  shine  and  the  elements  of 
roughness  reflect  different  reflection.  The  highly  pol- 
ished surface  reflects  regular  reflection.  A  dull  surface 
reflects  diffuse  reflection.  When  elements  of  rough- 
ness and  elements  of  shine  are  both  present  on  a  sur- 
face, the  two  kinds  of  reflection  interfere,  and  as  these 
light  rays  are  driven  back  to  the  eye  they  superim- 
pose. The  eye  cannot  accommodate  itself  to  the  shiny 
element  individually  or  the  rough  element  individually, 
consequently  glare  is  present. 

The  "Mirror  Screen"  is  made  from  the  finest  quality 
of  plate  glass,  which  is  mirrored  and  must  show  a 
photometric  reflective  power  of  98  per  cent.  It  is  then 
a  very  beautiful  mirror.  Mr.  Rembusch  now  destroys 
this  mirror  as  a  mirror  or  looking-glass  and  makes  it 
into  a  "Mirror  Screen"  by  prismizing  the  face  to  a 
dull  white  finish  without  gloss  or  shine.  The  effect  is 


of    Science  335 

that  the  projected  light  when  it  strikes  this  surface  is 
all  diffused.  The  mirror  behind  the  surface  returns 
the  light  with  power  and  brilliancy  to  the  viewing 
space,  and  does  not  scatter  it  as  with  a  white  wall. 

The  vast  audiences  which  have  crowded  the  Strand 
Theatre  since  its  dedication  as  a  photoplay  house  have 
been  impressed  almost  as  much  through  the  musical 
side  of  the  entertainments  given  as  from  the  excellent 
film  productions. 

The  orchestra  at  the  Strand  Theatre  has  been  praised 
so  highly  in  the  press  that  it  is  not  surprising  to  see 
the  musical  portion  of  photoplay  productions  greatly 
improved  all  over  the  country.  The  organ  installed 
at  the  Strand  is  said  to  be  the  largest  made  by  the 
Austin  Organ  Company,  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  though 
Mr.  Austin  informed  the  writer  that  his  company  is 
now  building  even  larger  instruments. 

Ever  since  the  advent  of  the  two-  and  three-hour 
photoplay,  which  also  inaugurated  an  era  of  building 
palatial  playhouses  for  their  exhibition,  there  has  come 
an  increased  demand  for  these  so-called  organ-orches- 
tras and  the  one  at  the  Strand  has  attracted  so  much 
attention  that  the  writer  ventured  to  ask  Mr.  Austin 
whether  he  believed  that  the  mechanical  orchestra — 
though  operated  at  the  console  by  a  competent  musi- 
cian— was  destined  to  eventually  replace  the  large  or- 
chestral bodies  in  our  play-houses  of  various  grades. 

"The  organ  from  a  theatrical  standpoint,"  said  Mr. 
Austin,  "has  not  appealed  to  us  very  strongly  up  to 
very  recently  because  of  the  tendency  on  the  part  of 
the  managers  to  purchase  only  the  cheaper  instruments 
and  there  were  other  features  of  this  phase  of  our  busi- 
ness that  caused  hesitation  to  embark  heavily  in  that 
field. 


336 Cfte   Cfteatte 

"But  we  are  convinced  that  the  organ  can  be  made 
a  vital  part  of  the  equipment  of  the  modern  photoplay- 
house  and  by  special  arrangements  of  its  tonal  scheme 
and  voicing  can  be  rendered  truly  imitative  of  orches- 
tral qualities  and  at  the  same  time  have  sufficient  in- 
herent dignity  which  is  invariably  lacking  in  the  usual 
theatre  orchestra. 

"The  best  results  in  my  opinion,"  continued  Mr. 
Austin,  "can  be  obtained  in  the  combination  of  the  pipe 
organ  and  a  limited  orchestra,  in  fact,  I  think  that  not 
only  in  the  moving  picture  theatres  but  in  all  play- 
houses the  best  effects  will  be  achieved  by  such  a  com- 
bination of  the  larger  organ  and  a  few  solo  pieces  in 
the  orchestra." 

The  influence  of  the  organ  orchestra  in  the  theatre 
of  science  has  tended  to  greatly  augment  the  musical 
side  of  photoplay  presentation  and  it  is,  indeed,  a  be- 
fitting as  well  as  a  truly  artistic  adjunct  of  the  modern 
motion  picture  theatre,  illustrating  as  it  does  the  grad- 
ual resort  to  scientific  means  of  expression.  Hence,  it 
is  not  surprising  in  this  era  of  newly  erected  palatial 
photoplay  houses  that  as  high  as  $50,000  is  being  ex- 
pended for  what  is  known  as  the  Wurlitzer  Unit  Or- 
chestra. 

The  Wurlitzer  Company  is  an  institution  founded  by 
Rudolph  Wurlitzer,  who  passed  away  in  January,  1914, 
with  principal  offices  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  ware- 
rooms  in  all  the  principal  cities  from  coast  to  coast. 
Its  principal  factory  is  at  North  Tonawanda,  N.  Y., 
and  it  is  here  that  different  grades  of  the  Unit  Or- 
chestra are  built  as  fast  as  they  can  be  produced  on 
orders  constantly  increasing  in  volume  and  in  the 
amount  expended  for  the  instruments.  Mr.  Howard 
Wurlitzer  is  now  the  active  head  of  the  company,  and 


LLOYD  LONERGAN 

Producer,  Director  and  Author  of  Photoplays 

(Thanhouser) 


THOMAS  RICKETTS 

Director,  Author  and  Star.    (American 
Film  Co.) 


THE  WURLITZER  UNIT  ORCHESTRA 

Vitagraph  Theatre 


of    Science  337 

he  flits  about  between  the  main  offices,  the  factories 
and  the  different  big  city  branches  in  the  effort  to  ex- 
tend the  company's  operations. 

To  the  writer  Mr.  Wurlitzer  expressed  his  belief  that 
while  the  $30,000  Unit  Orchestra  is  destined  to  in- 
crease its  vogue  materially,  the  smaller  instruments 
will  also  be  in  favor  and  as  low  as  $800  is  paid  for 
some  of  the  instruments.  In  fact,  it  is  only  a  truth 
to  state  that  the  instrument  used  at  the  Vitagraph 
Theatre  in  New  York  at  the  inauguration  on  February 
7  —  because  a  $35,000  Unit  Orchestra  was  not  yet  com- 
pleted —  was  one  of  the  cheapest  that  the  company 
makes;  yet  this  was  a  revelation  to  that  high-grade, 
first-night  audience,  and  it  was  Alan  Dale  himself  who 
devoted  an  entire  column  in  the  "New  York  American" 
to  the  premiere  —  most  of  the  space  representing  a  crit- 
ic's eulogy  of  the  musical  program  —  in  fact,  the  popu- 
lar critic  urged  that  there  need  be  no  hurry  to  finish 
the  $35,000  instrument  in  view  of  the  success  achieved 
with  the  makeshift. 


The  quality  of  the  lens  has  so  much  to  do  with  the 
quality  of  the  motion  picture  that  the  statement  "it's  all 
in  the  lens,"  well  known  as  an  advertising  shibboleth, 
has  much  significance.  About  four  years  ago  a  chance 
remark  led  the  Gundlach-Manhattan  Optical  Company 
of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  to  look  into  the  quality  of  pro- 
jection lenses  then  on  the  market.  The  result  was 
startling  to  makers  of  fine  lenses  for  photographic  and 
other  purposes,  and  not  only  was  it  found  that  the  poor- 
est and  cheapest  lenses  were  in  general  use,  but  as  a 
fact,  good  lenses  were  not  obtainable,  so  they  were  not 
missed.  There  was  obviously  a  good  field  for  lenses 


338  Cfte    Cfteatre 

capable  of  giving  a  manifestly  better  picture,  and  when 
Gundlach  Projection  Lenses  were  first  advertised, 
"better  pictures"  was  the  phrase  which  attracted  atten- 
tion. Gundlach  Lenses,  from  an  optical  standpoint, 
improved  the  picture  in  definition  and  illumination, 
quickly  giving  them  a  good  reputation  and  constantly 
increasing  sale,  but  of  equal  interest  to  the  exhibitor, 
dealer  and  machine  manufacturer. 

They  were  graded  so  closely  in  focal  lengths  and 
measured  so  accurately  for  the  equivalent  focus  that 
lenses  can  be  obtained  with  certainty  of  making  the 
picture  exactly  the  desired  size,  no  matter  what  dis- 
tance it  is  projected. 

Special  lenses  are  made  for  producing  a  brilliant  pic- 
ture long  distances,  say  up  to  200  feet.  By  a  simple 
calculation,  taking  into  consideration  the  size  of  the 
opening  in  the  aperture  plate,  size  of  the  picture  want- 
ed and  distance  from  machine  to  the  screen,  the  equiv- 
alent focus  of  the  lens  can  be  determined  so  nicely 
it  is  possible  to  fit  the  picture  to  the  screen  almost  to 
a  fraction  of  an  inch. 

To  the  Gundlach-Manhattan  Optical  Company  is 
•due  the  credit  for  introducing  projection  lenses  of  per- 
fect optical  quality  and  maximum  illuminating  power, 
of  reducing  to  a  scientific  method  the  filling  of  orders 
with  lenses  of  the  required  focal  length  to  suit  the 
operating  condition,  to  the  removal  of  the  limitation 
upon  the  distance  of  projection,  permitting  an  increase 
in  the  seating  capacity  of  theatres.  They  have  also 
been  successful  in  obtaining  a  standardized  aperture 
plate  which  has  been  adopted  by  the  leading  machine 
manufacturers. 

Gundlach  Projection  Lenses  are  now  installed  in 


of    Science  _  339^ 

thousands  of  theatres  in  the  United  States  and  Canada, 
and  they  are  generally  recognized  as  being  an  essen- 
tial part  of  the  equipment  of  a  first-class  theatre. 


Owners  and  managers  of  moving  picture  theatres 
have  their  share  of  tribulation,  and  the  obtaining  of 
suitable  electric  current  at  reasonable  prices  is  not  the 
least  of  their  troubles. 

Alternating  current  is  not  well  suited  for  moving 
picture  work,  and  under  many  conditions  is  almost  in- 
tolerable, especially  in  the  lower  cycles,  with  its  cease- 
less flicker,  as  well  as  in  the  large  number  of  instances 
in  which  the  regulation  is  poor. 

Direct  current  with  good  regulation,  at  the  proper 
voltage,  and  at  a  reasonable  price,  is  ideal,  but  almost 
never  obtainable. 

In  most  of  the  smaller  cities,  and  many  of  the  large 
ones  as  well,  the  station  equipment  is  inferior  or  poor- 
ly looked  after,  resulting  in  a  variation  of  from  5  to  15 
per  cent,  in  the  voltage.  This  is  particularly  true  of 
those  stations  which  furnish  electrical  energy  for  street 
car  and  power  service. 

So  much  for  regulation.  As  to  proper  voltage,  a 
moving  picture  lamp  requires  only  40  to  50  volts  at 
the  arc.  Allowing  for  resistance,  an  input  of  60  volts 
is  ample,  but  the  current  supplied  by  lighting  com- 
panies is  never  under  110,  and  from  that  up  to  220 
volts,  so  that  from  one-half  to  three-quarters  of  the 
current  paid  for  is  wasted  in  the  rheostat. 

As  to  price,  this  is  a  serious  question.  One  of  the 
principal  items  of  expense  of  a  picture  theatre  is  the 
electric  current.  The  attitude  of  lighting  companies 
in  most  towns,  both  small  and  large,  towards  the  mov- 


340  C6e   Cfteatre 

ing  picture  theatre  is  most  aggravating.  They  figure, 
with  much  shrewdness,  that  the  theatre  must  have 
electric  light,  and  usually  push  prices  up  to  the  last 
notch. 

It  is  not  unusual  to  find  a  theatre  using  1,000  to  1,500 
K.  W.  monthly,  charged  at  the  rate  of  12  to  15  cents  a 
K.  W.,  while  an  auto  garage,  saloon,  or  butcher  shop 
a  few  doors  away  is  paying  from  3  to  5  cents  per  K. 
W.  on  a  consumption  of  one-tenth  as  much. 

In  very  many  of  the  smaller  towns,  a  serious  loss  to 
the  show  owner  lies  in  the  inability  to  get  current  in 
the  day  time,  which  cuts  into  his  possible  revenue  to 
the  extent  of  20  to  40  per  cent. 

Revolting  against  these  conditions,  many  owners 
have  within  the  past  year  or  so  put  in  their  own  elec- 
tric light  plant,  thus  cutting  the  cost  of  current  mate- 
rially; but,  as  most  of  these  plants  consist  of  the  or- 
dinary type  of  gas  engine,  the  regulation  is  not 
improved,  because  the  standard  type  of  gas  or  gasoline 
engine  is  not  suitable  for  this  work,  and  will  not  regu- 
late closely.  Besides,  these  are  usually  put  out  with 
dynamos  of  110  to  125  volts,  so  that  half  of  the  current 
is  wasted  in  the  arc  lamp. 

Again,  these  equipments,  consisting  of  a  gasoline  en- 
gine belted  to  a  dynamo,  require  a  great  deal  of  floor 
space,  which  is  not  always  convenient  or  obtainable. 

Further,  if  the  show  be  a  traveling  one,  the  standard 
engine  of  even  medium  capacity  weighs,  with  dynamo 
and  equipment,  from  2,500  to  6,000  pounds,  involving 
much  extra  labor  in  handling  on  cars,  or  expensive 
wagon  and  team  equipment. 

In  the  Brush  Electric  Lighting  Set,  all  the  difficulties 
referred  to  in  the  foregoing  are  overcome.  The  100- 
page  catalogue  issued  by  the  Chas.  A.  Strelinger  Co., 


of    Science  341 

Bates  Street,  Detroit,  Michigan,  is  undoubtedly  the 
most  complete  work  on  small  isolated  electric  lighting 
plants  ever  printed,  and  gives  a  mass  of  information 
of  great  value  to  users  of  electric  light  and  power. 


Very  little  could  be  said  in  addition  to  what  has 
been  mentioned  in  my  previous  volume  on  the  subject 
of  theatre  seating,  but  inasmuch  as  I  merely  dwelled 
upon  the  material  and  general  construction  of  various 
chairs,  I  would  like  to  call  your  attention  to  the  ar- 
rangement being  one  of  the  most,  if  not  the  most  es- 
sential feature  of  seating  a  theatre.  This  matter  is 
very  seldom  handled  thoroughly  by  the  architect. 

The  largest  manufacturers  of  opera  chairs,  the 
American  Seating  Company,  have  a  consulting  body 
whose  service  is  gratis  to  those  interested  in  theatre 
seating.  They  are  thoroughly  equipped  with  all  infor- 
mation pertaining  to  the  arrangement  of  theatre  seat- 
ing; that  is,  setting  in  proper  arches  for  the  central- 
izing of  sound  waves,  elimination  of  eye  strain  and  the 
proper  grading  of  chairs.  These  terms  might  seem 
technical  to  the  average  person  interested  in  the  the- 
atrical world,  but,  as  already  mentioned,  this  is  an  en- 
tirely technical  side  of  the  business  to  which  very  few 
producers,  managers  and  owners  have  given  considera- 
tion beyond  the  fact  of  the  material  entering  into  the 
manufacture  of  the  chairs. 

With  the  advent  of  the  motion  picture  industry, 
which  created  a  demand  for  a  more  moderate-priced 
theatre,  and  consequently  cheaper  equipment,  many 
chairs  of  the  cheapest  and  most  flimsy  construction 
were  placed  on  the  market.  The  result  was  that  a 
large  number  of  the  chairs  failed  in  use  within  a  short 


342  C6e    Cfieatre 

time  after  installation,  with  the  attendant  loss  and  in- 
convenience to  the  theatre  owner.  The  trend  recently 
has  been  towards  better  seating  in  all  classes  of  mo- 
tion picture  theatres,  from  the  small  three-hundred-seat 
house  to  the  large  metropolitan  houses  seating  upwards 
of  two  thousand  persons.  In  fact,  some  of  the  very 
large  operators,  such  as  William  Fox  and  Marcus 
Loew,  of  New  York,  have  seated  their  houses  with 
chairs  of  the  full  upholstered  type  equal  in  all  respects 
to  the  chairs  in  use  in  the  first-class  metropolitan  the- 
atres. A  chair  of  a  more  moderate  price  which  is  prov- 
ing quite  popular  with  the  medium  and  smaller  motion 
picture  houses  is  what  is  technically  termed  semi-up- 
holstered. By  this  is  meant  that  the  back  is  uphol- 
stered, while  the  seat  is  of  built-up  wood,  or  vice  versa. 

There  are  many  so-called  steel  opera  chairs  to-day, 
mostly  made  of  common  "T"  steel,  which  the  average 
architect  and  contractor  will  emphatically  state  is  no 
material  for  opera  chair  furniture.  The  standards  of 
the  American  Steel  Sanitary  Opera  Chairs  are  made  of 
triangular  steel  tubing  formed  in  specially  designed 
machines  and  electrically  welded  throughout,  erected 
and  installed  in  such  manner  that  all  possible  chance 
of  dust-collecting  crevices  is  eliminated.  This  fea- 
ture was  brought  out  in  these  chairs,  as  it  is  entirely 
impossible  to  have  a  large  corps  of  cleaners  to  take 
care  of  the  chairs,  as  in  our  larger  theatres. 

The  substantial  construction  of  these  chairs,  they 
being  so  united  by  the  electric  welding  as  to  have  the 
strength  of  a  continuous  piece  of  metal,  coupled  with 
the  added  advantage  of  being  the  only  steel  chairs  on 
the  market  equipped  with  a  mechanically  perfect  and 
indestructible  seat  hinge,  should  create  a  large  demand 
for  them. 


of    Science  343 


CHAPTER  XVII 

The  city  in  this  country  to  most  completely  change 
its  theatrical  aspect,  as  a  result  of  the  moving  picture 
encroachment,  is  surely  the  Western  metropolis.  As 
recently  as  eight  years  ago  Chicago  was  yet  the  Mecca 
for  the  barnstormer  and  its  influence  in  shaping  the 
destiny  of  the  theatre  was  not  a  tithe  of  what  it  is 
to-day.  Even  the  pioneer  work  of  Chicago's  important 
vaudeville  magnates,  the  first  to  establish  discipline  in 
bookings  for  the  artist,  was  entirely  dependent  on  New 
York1  interests  for  a  source  of  supply. 

But  when  the  motion  picture  craze  created  what  is 
called  the  neighborhood  theatre  the  theatrical  map  of 
the  Windy  City  began  to  alter  itself,  and  Chicago  is 
to-day  a  film  centre  second  to  none  in  the  world,  a 
condition  mostly  due  to  the  enterprise  of  one  of  those 
triumvirates  with  which  the  film  industry  now  abounds. 

The  firm  of  Jones,  Linick  and  Schaefer,  aided  and 
abetted  by  Frank  Queen  Doyle,  began  to  operate 
about  the  same  time  that  Marcus  Loew  and  William 
Fox  started  to  make  theatrical  history  in  New  York, 
and  its  development  has  been  characterized  with  the 
same  expansion  which  has  caused  half  of  New  York's 


344  Cfte   Cfteatte 

first-grade  playhouses  to  become  converted  into  ver- 
itable gold  mines.  Besides  owning  outright  a  dozen 
or  more  palatial  and  modernly  constructed  theatres, 
this  trio  of  showmen  control  as  many  more  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Chicago  and  also  have  recently  added  Mc- 
Vicker's,  The  Colonial,  The  Studebaker  and  La  Salle 
Theatres,  at  the  same  time  vastly  improving  the  the- 
atrical situation,  in  that  Chicago  during  the  season  of 
1913-14  recorded  the  most  prosperous  amusement  sea- 
son in  fifteen  years. 

Klaw  and  Erlanger  and  the  Messrs.  Shubert  have 
Jones,  Linick  and  Schaefer  to  thank  for  the  solution 
of  their  difficult  problems  in  Chicago,  but  the  effect  of 
the  big  triumvirate's  operations  on  the  one-time  vaude- 
ville monopoly  possessed  by  Kohl  Middleton  and  Cas- 
tle has  not  been  so  favorable.  The  so-called  "big-time" 
houses,  such  as  the  Majestic  and  the  Palace,  no  longer 
attract  the  overwhelming  patronage  of  other  days. 
The  programs  at  McVicker's  and  the  Colonial  are  not 
perceptibly  of  less  merit  than  in  the  Kohl  houses, 
where  the  scale  of  prices  is  about  three  times  as  high. 

In  Chicago  there  are  no  less  than  thirty  theatres, 
seating  in  excess  of  1,000  persons,  where  no  seat  costs 
more  than  25  cents,  not  one  of  which  was  in  existence 
as  recently  as  five  years  ago.  In  some  of  these  houses 
one  may  not  pay  more  than  10  cents  for  the  best  seat, 
and  it  was  in  one  of  these  that  the  writer  saw  in  one 
program  such  high-salaried  performers  as:  The  Four 
Mortons  and  Victor  Moore.  Practically  all  of  these 
theatres  are  now  devoted  to  feature  films  exclusively. 

The  growth  of  the  popular-priced  movement  in  Chi- 
cago was  primarily  due  to  the  industry  of  a  group  of 
vaudeville  agents,  who  ventured  to  establish  booking 
bureaus  in  that  city  at  a  time  when  the  existing  bu- 


o  I    %  t  i  e  n  c  e  345 

reaus  scarcely  paid  expenses.  Frank  Queen  Doyle,  a 
descendant  of  the  founder  of  the  "New  York  Clipper," 
began  by  placing  an  act  or  two  in  the  picture  houses, 
and  in  short  order  became  a  tremendous  factor.  To- 
day Mr.  Doyle  conducts  a  business  yielding  a  profit  of 
not  less  than  $25,000  annually. 

J.  C.  Matthews  is  another  knight  of  the  merry  "Com- 
mish,"  who  has  prospered  through  the  growth  of  Chi- 
cago's low-priced  theatre  movement.  Matthews  was 
sent  to  Chicago  by  William  Morris,  at  the  time  the 
latter  was  fighting  the  so-called  vaudeville  trust,  but 
Matthews  saw  the  tremendous  possibilities  of  the 
"neighborhood  theatres"  and  he  has  remained  in  Chi- 
cago to  become  a  central  figure  in  Western  amuse- 
ments. 

Walter  Keefe,  like  his  colleagues  referred  to  in  the 
foregoing  paragraphs,  is  a  product  of  the  moving  pic- 
ture craze  in  Chicago.  Starting  in  a  small  way  to  book 
extra  attractions  in  the  theatres,  which  outgrew  the 
nickel  and  dime  policies,  and  with  the  advent  of  the 
Talbot  Hippodromes,  with  vast  seating  capacity,  Mr. 
Keefe's  activities  increased  to  such  dimensions  that 
to-day  his  earnings  are  very  much  in  the  five-figure 
class. 

The  New  York  vaudeville  booking  agents  have 
looked  longingly  on  the  development  of  the  feature 
film  business  and  the  belief  is  now  quite  general  that 
the  next  year  will  witness  an  effort  on  the  part  of  the 
hookers  to  extend  their  operations  into  the  newer  field. 
These  booking  agents  hold  that  the  need  for  "stars" 
and  "headliners,"  whether  represented  by  famous  plays 
or  famous  players,  will  create  a  demand  for  their  serv- 
ices. 

"Pat"  Casey  has  had  his  hand  in  the  film  game  prac- 


Cfteatre 


tically  since  he  became  "the  wonder  boy"  of  the  the- 
atrical rialto.  It  was  Casey  who  manipulated  the  deal 
by  which  Klaw  and  Erlanger  and  their  allies  affiliated 
with  the  American  Biograph  Company,  thus  releasing 
at  least  a  hundred  old-time  plays  for  the  screen,  and 
the  Pat  Casey  Agency  is  now  as  much  a  motion  pic- 
ture bureau  as  a  vaudeville  agency,  if  not  more  so. 

H.  B.  Marinelli  claims  that  if  he  has  lost  anything 
at  all  through  his  friction  with  the  vaudeville  powers  in 
control  of  the  U.  B.  O.,  he  has  more  than  made  the 
loss  good  by  his  new  outlet  created  through  the  in- 
ternational demand  for  foreign  films  and  the  statement 
is  borne  out  by  a  knowledge  of  almost  unbelievable 
transactions  in  this  line  in  recent  months,  while  scarce- 
ly a  day  goes  by  that  some  one  of  the  better  known 
booking  agents  is  not  credited  with  having  contracted 
for  American  feature  films  abroad. 

The  success  of  the  Lasky  Film  Company,  at  the 
head  of  which  is  the  well-known  vaudeville  producing 
agent  of  that  name,  has  already  been  effective  in  in- 
ducing other  vaudeville  producing  firms  to  capitulate. 
Edward  S.  Kellar  has  interests  in  photoplayhouses,  and 
is  reported  as  about  to  produce  feature  films. 

The  U.  B.  O.  (known  as  the  vaudeville  syndicate) 
is  vastly  extending  its  film  activities,  maintaining  in 
the  Putnam  Building  an  entire  floor  with  a  well-organ- 
ized staff  of  experts  under  the  personal  supervision  of 
John  J.  Murdock,  a  man  who  has  had  no  little  part  in 
the  motion-picture  evolution. 

The  dissolution  of  the  firm  of  Weber  &  Evans  in- 
terested many  persons  familiar  with  the  earlier  ca- 
reers of  its  individual  members.  Frank  Evans,  though 
best  known  as  one  of  the  larger  booking  agents,  is  an 
old-time  actor  whose  career  in  vaudeville  was  replete 


FRANK  Q.  DOYLE 

General    Manager  for  Jones,     Linick  6* 
Schaefer,  Chicago 


J.  C.  MATTHEWS 

Chicago 


LESTER  MAYNE 

New  York  Manager  W.  E.  Greene  Feature 
Film  Co. 


H.  B.  MARINELLI 

International  booking  agent  who  has  entered  the  feature  film  field 


A  Group  of  Vaudeville  Agents  Who  Are  Closely  Associated  with  Moving  Pictures 


of    Science 347 

with  achievement;  for  a  long  period  being  the  artistic 
associate  of  Joseph  Coyne.  It  was  the  same  Frank 
Evans  who  was  active  in  the  West  and  later  in  the 
East,  when  the  Independents  struggled  for  a  place  in 
filmdom  in  1906  to  1910.  Evans  was  associated  with 
John  Murdock,  and  it  was  through  the  latter's  influ- 
ence he  became  a  vaudeville  agent.  It  would  not  sur- 
prise anyone  to  see  Evans  come  forth  as  a  vital  factor 
in  the  U.  B.  O.'s  film  operations  in  the  near  future. 

M.  S.  Bentham,  perhaps  the  most  successful  man  in 
the  vaudeville  booking  field,  and  surely  the  one  to 
produce  the  best  attractions,  told  the  writer  that  he 
had  found  during  the  past  year  a  source  of  income  so 
large  through  unexpected  business  with  the  film  pro- 
ducers that  he  proposed  to  establish  a  film  department 
of  large  scope  where  he  would  encourage  his  clients — • 
who  represent  the  cream  of  stellar  vaudevillians — to 
produce  photoplays  and  also  to  reproduce  vaudeville 
acts  on  the  screen  that  have  had  their  day  but  are  at 
least  as  likely  to  attract  the  public  as  the  present  stage 
play  movement.  Bentham  knows,  too,  what  the  out- 
come was  from  the  filming  of  the  several  dancing  acts, 
such  as  the  Castles,  Joan  Sawyer,  and  others  less 
known.  The  Castles  made  a  fortune  on  their  films 
alone. 

Joseph  Hart  has  not  up  to  this  writing  produced  for 
the  screen,  which  is  surprising  in  view  of  his  enthusi- 
asm as  expressed  at  recent  premieres  of  important 
photoplays.  Hart  is  afflicted  with  partial  deafness  to 
an  extent  that  he  no  longer  can  enjoy  a  spoken  play 
without  the  aid  of  an  Acousticon.  I  expect  to  see  Jo- 
seph Hart  as  one  of  the  most  prolific  film  producers  of 
to-morrow.  In  the  entire  theatre  zone  of  the  Metrop- 


348 Cfre   Cfreatte 

olis  one  may  not  find  a  better  qualified  man  to  organ- 
ize and  direct  for  the  screen. 

The  persistency  with  which  the  various  inventors  of 
singing  and  talking  pictures  are  developing  improve- 
ments during  the  present  year  has  caused  many  here- 
tofore skeptically  inclined  persons  to  alter  their  views 
as  to  the  future  possibilities  of  the  efforts  to  create  a 
perfect  synchronism  between  the  film  and  vocal  rec- 
ords. 

Dr.  Kitsee  has  proved  with  the  Harry  Lauder  "vocal 
films"  that  he  has  at  least  evolved  a  production  that  is 
good  enough  to  induce  vaudeville  managers  all  over 
the  country  to  pay  $1,000  a  week  for  the  privilege  of 
exhibition,  and  the  outlook  for  the  immediate  future  is 
excellent  for  the  reproduction  of  distinctly  musical 
numbers  without  large  demands  for  stage  action. 

Wholly  apart  from  the  Edison  preparations,  by 
which  grand  opera  is  likely  to  be  available  to  all  of 
the  people  instead  of  a  luxury  for  the  very  few,  there 
is  nothing  to  prevent  the  popular  vaudeville  stars  from 
emulating  the  Morris-Lauder  success. 

One  may  name  offhand  a  dozen  celebrities  of  the 
"two-a-day"  form  of  entertainment  who  would  add  not 
only  immeasurably  to  their  income  from  the  already 
existing  status  of  the  various  brands  of  talking  and 
singing  pictures,  but  their  fame  would  extend  into  the 
remotest  districts,  thus  greatly  enlarging  their  value  to 
the  managerial  faction,  though  as  always  is  the  case 
when  an  effort  is  evidenced  to  cater  to  the  masses  the 
men  most  likely  to  benefit  ultimately  may  enforce  an 
embargo  on  the  stage  talent,  threatening  to  bar  the 
performers  from  their  stages. 

What  Dr.  Kitsee,  Mr.  Mahan  and  Mr.  Webb  have 
accomplished  so  far,  however,  plainly  indicates  that 


of    Science 349 

while  Mr.  Edison  may  confine  his  efforts  to  reproduc- 
ing grand  opera  quite  as  effectively  as  presented  in  our 
majestic  opera  houses,  the  improvement  in  the  syn- 
chronism of  the  talking  pictures  will  go  on,  until  per- 
haps the  greatest  problem  in  the  history  of  public  en- 
tertaining will  have  been  wholly  solved. 

The  managerial  interest  in  the  latest  developments 
along  these  lines  is  best  illustrated  from  the  manner 
in  which  contracts  are  being  issued  by  showmen  all 
over  the  country  for  the  Lauder  offering,  while  Mr. 
Mahan  is  releasing  his  "Imperial  Singing  pictures" — 
a  wholly  novel  entertainment — with  much  the  same 
general  demand  from  exhibitors  as  for  photo^- 
plays. 

For  the  moment  the  trend  of  these  newer  brands  of 
talking  and  singing  pictures  is  toward  evolving  a 
vaudeville  program,  and  if  the  Webb  electrical  pic- 
tures, as  shown  at  the  Fulton  Theatre,  survive,  as 
seems  almost  certain,  the  general  belief  about  Long 
Acre  Square  is  that  vaudeville  is  due  to  witness  a  de- 
creased demand  for  performers  in  the  flesh,  with  many 
of  the  smaller  theatres  and  the  majority  of  the  cities 
of  moderate  size  presenting  entertainments  involving 
no  problems  as  to  whether  "the  spectre  will  perambu- 
late with  regularity."  The  only  salary  to  be  paid  will 
be  to  the  company  providing  the  scientific  entertain- 
ment. 

Augusta  Glose  has  been  wanted  for  at  least  two  of 
these  brands  of  singing  pictures,  and  it  is  with  such 
musical  monologues  as  she  has  been  so  successful  with 
that  the  present-day  talking  picture  inventions  can  best 
cope. 

The  Edison  Kinetophone  director  sent  for  John  T. 
Kelly,  with  a  view  to  specializing  with  the  countless 


Cfre   C&eatre 


Irish  farces  which  the  comedian  was  wont  to  conjure 
with  in  the  days  of  the  variety  show,  which  also  indi- 
cates that  while  Mr.  Edison  is  lying  awake  nights  to 
hasten  the  day  when  Caruso,  Amato,  and  Farrar  will 
be  heard  and  seen  alike  for  a  dime,  the  Kinetophone 
will  be  confined  to  vaudeville  offerings  —  in  fact,  this 
same  Kinetophone  is  yet  a  dividend  payer,  with  im- 
provements constantly  progressing. 

As  the  writer  sees  the  talking  picture  situation,  the 
outlook  for  its  survival  as  a  tremendous  factor  in  pub- 
lic entertaining  is  better  than  it  has  ever  been  —  but  it 
should  never  be  regarded  as  a  competitor  of  the  mov- 
ing pictures.  The  latter  are  now  evolving  into  their 
vital  stage  of  development  with  1914  recording  a  far 
higher  plane  for  their  productivity  than  all  the  years 
that  have  passed  combined,  whereas  the  effort  to  ac- 
complish a  perfect  synchronization  is  yet  in  the  primi- 
tive stage;  but  the  Wizard  of  Menlo  Park  never  ut- 
tered a  greater  truism  than  when  he  predicted  that  the 
final  achievement  in  reproducing  the  $5.00-a-seat  grand 
opera  for  a  dime  will  be  the  greatest  boon  to  man- 
kind the  world  has  ever  known. 

Viewing  the  subject  as  an  entity,  the  writers  in  the 
trade  press  who  so  recently  expressed  their  opinions 
as  to  the  comparative  fiasco  of  the  talking  pictures 
must  confess  that  the  latter  are  far  from  "a  dead 
issue."  Just  as  soon  as  world-famous  stars  are  se- 
cured, the  talking-picture  problem  will  begin  to  solve 
itself. 

Mark  M.  Dintenfass  was  a  conspicious  figure  in 
that  group  of  independent  producers  of  photoplays  who 
began  in  1908  to  greatly  enlarge  the  nation's  film  out- 
put for  entertainment  purposes.  Mr.  Dintenfass,  how- 
ever, started  two  years  before  the  independent  move- 


of    Science 351 

ment  began  by  opening  a  small  photoplay  house  called 
"Fairyland,"  a  name  which  reflected  the  possession  of 
showmanship  at  the  outset.  In  1907  he  became  in- 
terested in  "The  Cameraphone,"  which  was  the  first 
concrete  effort  to  synchronize  the  motion  picture  and 
the  phonograph.  I  recall  a  production  of  Planquette's 
"Chimes  of  Normandy'*  by  the  cameraphone  that  com- 
pared quite  favorably  with  more  recent  efforts  to 
evolve  perfect  talking  pictures. 

But  it  would  seem  that  the  talking  picture  problem 
has  not  even  to  this  day  been  solved.  There  have  been 
at  least  a  score  of  different  brands  of  talking  pic- 
tures, but  of  the  earlier  output,  aside  from  the  camera- 
phone  (now  extinct),  but  two  have  endured  with  the 
public  (the  Edison  and  the  Gaumont  brands) ;  the  lat- 
ter has  had  considerable  vogue  abroad  and  has  seemed 
to  find  a  larger  public  response  than  the  American 
brands.  Yet  it  is  fair  to  state  that  in  theatrical  his- 
tory nothing  to  compare  with  the  Edison  talking  pic- 
tures as  a  theatrical  attraction  during  its  first  two 
weeks  in  the  vaudeville  theatres  has  ever  been  known. 
That  the  public  was  attracted  by  the  name  of  Edison 
alone  is  hardly  true.  Close  observers  during  these 
two  first  weeks  of  the  Kinetophone  were  impressed 
with  the  idea  that,  given  proper  subjects  and  an  ef- 
fort to  confine  these  to  monologues,  duos,  trios  and 
petite  comedies  and  operettas  without  large  "ensem- 
bles," the  success  would  have  been  prolonged. 

As  it  is,  the  Kinetophone  is  yet  a  live  proposition, 
with  as  many  "companies"  on  tour  now  as  at  the  out- 
set, while  improvement  in  the  mechanism  and  in  the 
subject  matter  is  still  going  on.  Mr.  Edison  is  at  work 
now  on  some  vital  problem  dealing  with  the  synchro- 
nism effect  and  has  promised  that  the  day  is  near  when 


352 Cfte   Cfteatte 

the  world's  greatest  singers  will  be  heard  in  grand 
opera  scenes,  with  voice  and  action  concretely  repro- 
duced, and  this,  too,  he  promises  will  be  available  at 
extremely  low  prices  of  admission. 

The  future  of  the  so-called  talking  picture,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  writer,  will  depend  greatly  on  the  utili- 
zation of  celebrities,  whose  artistry  has  entailed  high 
admission  prices  for  the  public  to  enjoy.  How  long 
\ve  will  have  to  wait  for  a  synchronized  production 
of  "Pagliacci,"  with  Caruso  and  Amato  in  the  cast, 
one  may  not  forecast;  yet  such  productions  are  pos- 
sible to-day,  seeing  that  both  the  motion  picture  and 
the  phonograph  separately  have  forced  famous  stars 
to  capitulate,  and  Caruso  has  stated  that  he  will  wel- 
come the  day  when  real  "musical  films"  are  evolved. 

Some  one  has  said,  I  believe  it  was  Mr.  Hoff,  of  the 
"Moving  Picture  World,"  that  we  would  know  when 
the  talking  pictures  were  perfect  only  when  a  new  gen- 
eration of  Rockefellers  and  Carnegies  was  revealed. 
The  point  is  well  taken,  for  it  is  certain  that  upon  the 
final  outcome  of  the  effort  to  present  plays  and  operas 
in  their  entirety,  with  the  players  and  singers  utilized 
only  for  the  original  films  and  records,  will  depend 
the  greatest  amusement  attraction  the  world  has 
ever  known. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  benefit  to  mankind  the  pro- 
ducer of  talking  pictures  can  be,  I  venture  to  state  that 
an  effort  to  present  film  and  vocal  records  of  the  Ade- 
lina  Patti  of  to-day  would  attract  the  public  all  over 
the  world  as  has  no  other  production  of  modern  times. 

Patti  is  73  years  young,  and  she  can  sing  "Home, 
Sweet  Home,"  and  "The  Last  Rose  of  Summer,"  as 
only  Patti  has  sung  the  ballads  for  more  than  half  a 
century,  yet  as  there  are  no  vocal  records  of  the  Patti 


o  f    S  c  i  t  n  c  e  353 

of  her  prime,  who  shall  say  that  the  preservation  of 
what  yet  remains  of  her  voice  and  artistry  will  not  be 
appreciated  by  the  generations  to  come,  and  our  chil- 
dren and  grandchildren  of  to-day  who  are  wont  to  hear 
their  elders  say,  "But  you  ought  to  have  heard  Patti." 

I  have  singled  out  the  famous  diva  merely  in  an  il- 
lustrative sense  in  the  hope  that  Mr.  Edison  or  Mr. 
Mahan  will  act  on  the  suggestion.  Evidently  the  lat- 
ter has  in  mind  productivity  of  this  nature,  and  from 
what  I  have  seen  and  heard  of  the  Imperial  singing 
pictures,  these  are  likely  to  become  a  far  greater  fac- 
tor in  the  field  of  public  entertainment  than  any  effort 
of  the  kind  up  to  this  time.  Not  all  of  us  have  for- 
gotten the  craze  that  followed  the  advent  of  "the  ani- 
mated song  sheet"  which  was  one  of  the  immediate 
forerunners  of  the  motion  picture  and  the  phonograph, 
and  Mr.  Mahan  has  indicated  thus  early  in  his  opera- 
tions that  he  has  the  intention  to  utilize  the  two  great- 
est inventions  for  public  entertainment  in  a  way  that 
will  gladden  the  hearts  of  the  exhibitors — why  not 
call  them  managers  now? — who  lay  awake  nights  in 
an  effort  to  improve  the  musical  side  of  their  pro- 
grams. 

When  Madame  Patti  made  her  "last  farewell"  tour 
of  this  country,  under  the  direction  of  the  writer,  she 
was  then  63.  This  was  ten  years  ago,  yet  despite  that 
she  was  hoarse  at  the  opening  concert  she  sang  rather 
than  forfeit  the  $5,000  she  was  paid  for  singing  two 
arias  and  two  ballads.  The  average  gross  receipts  of 
this  tour  was  in  excess  of  $6,500  per  concert,  and  the 
Patti  of  to-day,  even  at  73,  is  still  not  only  a  name 
to  conjure  with,  but  at  her  last  appearance  at  Albert 
Hall,  London,  England,  less  than  a  year  ago,  the  diva 
drew  an  audience  of  10,000  persons.  It  was  at  this 


354  Cfte    Cfteatre 

time  that  Jean  De  Reszke  pronounced  her  voice  unim- 
paired and  her  execution  faultless. 

In  view  of  such  a  proclamation  from  perhaps  the 
greatest  authority  on  the  subject,  who  can  doubt  that 
any  effort  to  make  possible  the  perpetuation  of  her  un- 
exampled artistry  will  add  vastly  to  the  glories  of 
this  wonderful  scientific  era. 

And  Patti  herself  would  be  receptive  to  such  a  plan. 
At  her  castle  in  Wales,  "Craig-y-Nos,"  where  the  writer 
spent  a  never-to-be-forgotten  week  in  1904,  the  diva 
has  a  collection  of  phonographs,  with  records  of  all 
the  great  singers;  also  a  projection  machine  and  even 
a  bijou  playhouse,  where  the  peasants  about  her  estate 
are  entertained.  Of  course,  Patti  is  always  Patti  when 
it  comes  to  financial  negotiations,  but  that  problem 
presents  no  obstacle  in  these  days. 

Aside  from  Patti,  there  are  other  great  public  idols 
over  whom  the  nations  have  raved,  but  who  are  now 
in  the  evening  of  life  and  retirement.  Lilli  Lehman, 
for  instance.  As  a  proof  that  in  its  present  status 
talking  and  singing  pictures  should  be  confined  to  ce- 
lebrities over  whom  the  public  raves,  the  success  of 
Harry  Lauder's  "talking  pictures"  speak  eloquently. 
Once  more  that  great  showman,  William  Morris,  has 
shown  his  calibre.  It  is  just  such  an  attraction  as 
Lauder  who  comes  hither  for  limited  engage- 
ments, always  going  to  the  same  cities  that  will  draw 
the  public  in  large  and  small  cities. 

Simultaneously  with  the  advent  of  the  Harry  Lauder 
talking  pictures  in  New  York  came  Webb's  electrical 
pictures,  first  exhibited  at  the  Fulton  Theatre,  in  New 
York,  on  May  4th,  1914,  though  for  more  than  a  year 
previous  to  this  the  trade  press  had  recognized  the  im- 
portance of  the  new  invention  and  the  metropolitan 


c  f    %  t  i  t  n  t  e  355 

premiere  followed  many  experimental  exhibits.  The 
initial  program  of  the  Webb  electrical  pictures  was  in- 
dicative of  much  preparatory  activity  in  that  practi- 
cally the  entire  range  of  stage  productivity  was  em- 
braced. Grand  opera  was  represented  by  Gounod's 
"Faust"  sung  and  acted  by  artists  of  no  mean  quality, 

DeWolf  Hopper's  famous  "Casey  at  the  Bat"  was 
quite  as  lifelike  and  surely  as  distinct  as  the  original 
in  the  flesh  has  accustomed  us  to.  I  hold  that  the 
greater  the  artist  utilized  for  talking  and  singing  pic- 
tures, the  greater  the  illusion  achieved.  This  is  so  true 
that  I  am  inclined  to  believe  a  virgin  field  still  exists 
and  the  progress  and  development  will  go  on  until  one 
day  the  complete  problem  will  be  solved. 

There  are  those  who  believe  plays  may  be  presented 
in  this  decade  in  their  entirety,  with  the  players  util- 
ized solely  in  the  rehearsals.  Petite  comedies  with 
small  casts  may  now  be  concretely  presented  and 
fairly  enjoyed  as  well,  but  as  for  elaborate  plays  in- 
discriminately selected,  the  obstacles  yet  pervading  are 
too  overwhelming.  Rather  do  I  believe  that  Mr.  Edi- 
son's view  is  the  correct  one,  namely,  that  grand  opera 
with  the  world's  greatest  singers  will  be  enjoyed  by 
that  tremendous  majority  of  mankind  which,  up  to 
now,  has  been  prohibited  from  paying  the  high  prices 
of  admission. 

But  the  ingenious  plans  of  Mr.  Mahan,  with  the  Im- 
perial singing  pictures,  should  he  develop  their  full 
possibilities  and  perhaps  create  a  new  craze — for  let 
us  not  forget  that  illustrated  songs  once  had  a  sensa- 
tional vogue — the  much-needed  improvement  on  the 
musical  side  of  the  picture  plays  will  have  come ;  also 
presenting  just  the  diversion  so  many  now  find  lack- 
ing. 


356  Cfte    Cfteatte 

Up  to  now  the  musician  has  seemed  to  be  wholly 
immune  from  the  great  gift  which  science  has  be- 
stowed upon  mankind,  but  the  next  two  years  may  al- 
ter this  condition  materially. 

Already  the  popular  song  composer  has  his  ear  to 
the  ground,  and  one  at  least  is  preparing  for  the  fu- 
ture as  is  his  wont  along  lines  that  will  find  many 
emulators  in  due  course.  Charles  K.  Harris,  who 
wrote  "After  the  Ball,"  a  generation  ago  and  who  aver- 
ages about  three  "hits"  a  year,  is  preparing  a  play  and 
a  photoplay  around  the  theme  of  his  first  success.  Mr. 
Harris  is  also  planning  to  visualize  all  of  his  most  com- 
pelling ballads. 

If  Harris  should  enter  the  musical  film  field  on  a 
large  scale,  as  now  seems  likely,  his  procedure  will 
be  watched  by  his  confreres  of  "tin-pan  alley"  with 
intense  interest.  The  time  is  ripe  now  for  some  mu- 
sical craze.  Nothing  has  developed  since  the  vogue 
of  "illustrated  songs"  and  the  "animated  song  sheet," 
though  both  were  the  forerunners  of  the  present 
"movie"  craze.  The  cabarets  are  seeking  musical  tal- 
ent now  in  preference  to  that  of  vaudeville,  and  if  Har- 
ris can  evolve  some  method  of  producing  song  films 
that  will  represent  the  modern  spirit  of  doing  things, 
the  craze  that  would  follow  would  be  even  greater 
than  that  which  followed  the  advent  of  modern  dances. 

Somewhere,  too,  in  this  big  town  Alfred  L.  Simpson 
must  be  figuring  on  the  song  film  problem.  Simpson 
will  be  recalled  as  the  artistic  member  of  the  once- 
famous  kings  of  illustrated  songs — Maxwell  and  Simp- 
son— that  is  to  say,  he  was  the  electrical  genius  and 
Maxwell  sang  as  only  he  could  render  songs  requir- 
ing "tears  in  the  voice." 

When  illustrated  songs  exhausted  their  vogue  to  a 


MR.  J.  W.  MAHAN 

Who  introduced  the  Imperial  Singing  Pic 


THE  FIRST  RELEASE  OF  IMPERIAL  SINGING  PICTURES 


of    Science 357 

great  extent,  Simpson  turned  to  inventing.  His  "Solar 
screen"  is  in  use  in  the  best  film  houses  all  over  the 
country.  I  recall  now  that  Simpson  predicted  a  decade 
ago  that  moving  pictures  would  one  day  create  the 
greatest  song-picture  craze  the  world  has  ever  known. 
Is  that  day  at  hand?  Stranger  things  can  happen. 

•§»«$»     «£ 

H.  B.  Marinelli,  the  world's  greatest  individual  book- 
ing agent,  made  his  first  appearance  on  the  stage  as  an 
artiste  when  he  was  only  twelve  years  old,  and  for 
eighteen  years  he  continued  as  a  performer,  creating 
an  entirely  new  style  in  this  line  that  was  afterwards 
adopted  by  the  whole  world.  For  two  years  he  trav- 
eled in  the  States  on  his  own  account,  after  which  he 
rested  for  four  years  in  his  country  home  at  Courbe- 
voie,  near  Paris.  The  following  fifteen  years  he  was 
active  as  a  manager,  creating  new  productions,  and 
formed  the  World's  International  Agency,  which  is  an 
absolutely  unique  organization,  having  branch  offices 
in  New  York,  Berlin  and  London,  with  the  main  of- 
fice in  Paris.  This  organization  expends  about  $100,- 
000  a  year  in  salaries,  maintenance  of  offices,  cables, 
telegrams,  rent,  etc. 

The  salaries  paid  to  artistes  booked  through  the 
World's  International  Agency  during  the  year  1912 
amounted  to  $2,825,865.  During  the  period  of  fifteen 
years  the  salaries  paid  to  artistes  booked  through  this 
organization  amounted  to  over  $20,000,000. 

Mr.  Marinelli  was  the  exclusive  adviser  in  regard  to 
international  attractions  for  Isola  Freres  during  their 
management  of  the  Folies  Bergere  and  the  Olympia 
in  Paris. 

Mr.  Marinelli  managed  the  Olympia,  Paris,  with  Mr. 


358  C6e   C&eatte 

De  Cottens  for  three  years,  during  which  period  he  de- 
voted all  his  time  to  the  International  Agency,  and 
during  Mr.  Marinelli's  management  the  style  of  the 
shows  was  entirely  a  new  creation,  and  an  absolutely 
new  atmosphere  in  the  vaudeville  world  was  formed, 
with  the  result  that  the  receipts  that  were,  previous  to 
Mr.  Marinelli's  management  only  $220,000,  immediate- 
ly rose  to  $400,000.  These  enormous  receipts  were 
easily  maintained  during  the  management  of  Messrs. 
Marinelli  and  DeCottens,  and  after  that  Mr.  Marinelli 
was  the  artistic  adviser  for  three  years  to  the  Alham- 
bra,  Paris,  with  the  same  result  as  in  the  case  of  the 
Olympia,  Paris. 

The  International  Agency  founded  by  Mr.  Marinelli 
has  been  responsible  for  the  transportation  of  the  great 
European  stars  to  America,  and  vice  versa. 

All  offices  are  in  daily  cable  communication  with 
each  other  and  also  in  perpetual  communication  with 
all  artistes  of  importance  by  cable,  phone  and  wireless, 
and  are  thus  fully  conversant  and  up-to-date  with  all 
matters  theatrical.  In  1914  Mr.  Marinelli  added  a  Fea- 
ture film  department  to  all  of  his  offices,  vastly  in- 
creasing the  annual  revenue  as  a  result. 


When  the  telephone  first  began  to  solve  many  of 
mankind's  problems  of  business  procedure,  I  recall  that 
it  was  in  the  then-primitive  amusement  field  that  its 
usefulness  seemed  most  apparent,  yet  it  is  also  true 
that  theatrical  business  men  were  decidedly  reluctant 
to  embrace  this  source  of  instantaneous  communica- 
tion. Even  the  larger  booking  institutions  did  not 
resort  to  its  use  in  the  first  years  and  as  late  as  1894 
when,  owing  to  the  advent  of  B.  F.  Keith  in  the  vaude- 


of    Science 359 

ville  field,  the  number  of  booking  agencies  vastly  in- 
creased, many  of  these  still  confined  their  method  of 
communication  with  the  performer  and  the  manager 
to  the  old-fashioned  correspondence,  using  the  tele- 
graph system  when  expedition  was  a  necessity. 

The  writer  being  somewhat  hard  of  hearing  and 
assuming  that  the  advent  of  science  as  an  aid  to  man 
was  beyond  his  reach,  transacted  all  of  his  business 
(which  in  the  period  from  1893  to  1898  was  the  largest 
and  most  important  of  the  vaudeville-booking  bu- 
reaus) without  installing  telephone  service,  and  as  it 
was  my  wont  to  have  my  office  in  my  own  home  far 
from  the  business  centre,  the  spectacle  of  many  of  the 
men  now  millionaires  who  control  vaudeville's  output 
presenting  themselves  at  my  apartments  to  procure  at- 
tractions for  their  programs  was  daily  on  view.  One 
day  seated  in  my  office  (three  flights  up,  and  no  ele- 
vator) were  S.  K.  Hodgdon  (fancy  this  Keith  execu- 
tive going  daily  to  an  agent's  home  at  this  period), 
M.  C.  Anderson,  Hurtig  and  Seamon,  Henry  Behman 
(who  came  from  Brooklyn  to  West  53rd  Street  to 
see  me  twice  daily),  William  Morris  (then  an  office 
boy  for  George  Liman),  Nick  Norton,  and  many  oth- 
ers; while  outside  in  the  hall  standing  and  awaiting 
an  exodus  from  inside,  were  a  half  dozen  men  who  to- 
day sit  in  sumptuously  appointed  sanctums  in  the 
United  Booking  Offices,  while  no  less  than  one  hun- 
dred sub-agents  with  offices  in  the  same  building  rare- 
ly come  personality  in  contact  with  them,  an  extensive 
telephone  service  being  the  sole  method  of  communi- 
cation. Such  is  progress. 

In  all  those  years  (1893-1898)  I  had  not  once  held 
a  receiver  to  my  ear.  I  heard  many  mutterings  of 
complaints  from  managers  and  artists  alike,  but  some- 


Cfteatte 


how  I  managed  to  operate  on  a  truly  vast  scale  with- 
out serious  inconvenience  —  at  least,  so  it  appeared  to 
me;  but  as  I  now  look  back  into  those  years,  I  can 
only  conjecture  as  to  what  measure  of  prosperity 
would  have  been  meted  out  to  me  had  I  recognized 
the  value  of  the  great  scientific  invention  that  was 
lying  dormant  within  my  reach  at  every  turn. 

But  one  day  in  the  year  1898  something  happened 
that  greatly  changed  my  future  mode  of  business  pro- 
cedure. I  had  booked  Pauline  Hall  (then  the  most- 
compelling  headline  attraction  in  vaudeville)  to  appear 
at  Buffalo  for  a  week's  engagement  at  Shea's  Theatre. 
Mr.  Shea  had  advertised  the  original  "Erminie"  in  truly 
spectacular  fashion,  but  Miss  Hall,  who  was  noted  for 
her  reliability,  never  before  having  disappointed  the 
public,  had  telephoned  to  Mr.  Shea  at  midnight  preced- 
ing the  date  of  her  opening,  that  because  of  the  serious 
illness  of  her  infant  daughter  she  could  not  leave  her 
home  in  New  York. 

All  efforts  to  communicate  with  Miss  Hall  failed, 
she  having  denied  herself  to  all.  Hence  Mr.  Shea  was 
in  a  state  of  near  insanity  about  3  :00  A.  M.,  with  no 
headline  attraction  to  replace  Miss  Hall  for  the  mat- 
inee eleven  hours  later.  It  seems  that  all  other  efforts 
to  reach  me  by  telephone  having  failed,  the  Buffalo 
Manager  called  up  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House  at 
4:00  A.  M.,  asking  for  my  brother,  the  late  Maurice 
Grau,  who  was  at  home  asleep.  A  private  wire  be- 
tween the  Opera  House  and  my  brother's  apartment 
was  utilized  with  the  result  that  a  messenger  was  dis- 
patched to  my  home  to  inform  me  that  I  was  wanted 
at  "Central"  to  answer  a  Buffalo  call.  Reaching  the 
latter  I  learned  that  Mr.  Shea  was  "holding  the  wire." 
I  told  the  operator  I  could  not  take  the  message  my- 


of 


self,  but  Mr.  Shea  would  not  talk  to  the  operator.  Said 
he,  "You  tell  'Bob'  Grau  to  come  to  the  'phone.  I 
don't  believe  he  is  deaf.  He  is  just  bluffing  to  avoid 
duty."  Reluctantly  I  took  the  receiver  in  hand  for  the 
first  time  in  my  life,  placing  it  to  my  ear,  and  to 
my  complete  amazement  and  joy  I  heard  distinctly 
every  word  the  now-irate  showman  uttered.  "What 
in  H  -  do  you  mean  to  leave  me  without  a  head- 
liner?  If  you  don't  send  Pauline  Hall  on  the  first 
train,  or  some  one  just  as  good,  I'll  never  book  another 
act  of  you  as  long  as  I  live,"  and  any  one  can  tell  you 
that  whatever  Mike  Shea  says  he  means. 

Overcome  with  the  truly  sensational  novelty  of  a 
long-distance  talk  that  seemed  to  electrically  restore 
my  hearing,  I  talked  and  listened,  until  Mr.  Shea  shout- 
ed, "Sixteen  dollars;  I'll  pay  it,  but  it  comes  off  your 
commission  bill  in  any  event." 

On  the  1  o'clock  train  I  sent  another  attraction  to 
replace  Miss  Hall,  but  so  impressed  was  I  with  the  out* 
come  of  this  matter  that  I  proceeded  to  the  Hotel  Ma- 
jestic, where  the  prima  donna  had  her  home,  and  after 
pleading  for  more  than  two  hours,  I  persuaded  Miss 
Hall  to  go  to  Buffalo  at  midnight.  Then  I  rushed  to 
the  'phone  booth  to  tell  Mr.  Shea  the  good  news.  Again 
I  heard  distinctly.  The  sensation  was  so  invigorating 
and  inspiring  that  I  need  hardly  add  that  the  next 
morning  I  ordered  the  telephone  company  to  install 
its  service,  which  I  have  never  been  without  since. 


362  Cfte    Cfteatre 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

It  was  Gene  Gauntier,  now  a  producer  of  feature  pho- 
toplays, who  influenced  the  American  Biograph  Com- 
pany to  engage  the  world-famous  director,  D.  W.  Grif- 
fith. Miss  Gauntier  was  leaving  the  Biograph  studio 
to  join  the  Kalem  company,  but  before  her  departure 
she  earned  the  gratitude  of  Henry  N.  Marvin  because 
of  her  plea  to  give  Griffith  a  directorship.  I  recall 
Miss  Gauntier  in  the  play  "Texas,"  in  which  she  played 
the  leading  role  in  1907,  but  she  had  spent  the  previous 
season  with  the  Biograph  as  its  scenario  editor. 

The  work  being  too  confining,  Miss  Gauntier  ac- 
cepted the  position  of  leading  lady  with  the  Kalem 
Company,  also  writing  the  scenarios  for  the  first  film 
organization  to  leave  New  York.  Also  this  lady  headed 
the  first  company  of  photoplayers  to  go  abroad.  Fol- 
lowing this  European  tour  of  film  producing,  Miss 
Gauntier  proceeded  to  the  Orient,  where,  under  Sidney 
Olcott,  the  Kalem  Company  began  to  do  the  big 
things  for  which  it  is  now  famous.  The  culmination 
of  this  remarkable  entourage  came  in  Palestine,  where 
the  production  of  "From  the  Manger  to  the  Cross" 


/' 

*l> 


>9 


GENE  GAUNTIER 


LOIS  WEBER 


PHILIPS  SMALLEY 


Brilliant  and  Unique  Equally  as  Authors,  Directors  and  Stars  in  Their'f 
Own  Productions 


SS=SBZ 


o  f    @  1  1  e  n  c  e 


was  conceived  by  Miss  Gauntier  and  directed  by  Mr, 
Olcott. 

In  December,  1912,  severing  her  relations  with  the 
Kalem  Company,  the  Gene  Gauntier  Feature  Players 
was  formed.  Its  large  studio  in  West  Fifty-fourth 
street  was  formerly  the  Church  of  St.  Ambrose.  Here 
this  slip  of  a  girl  still  in  her  twenties  superintends 
everything  from  the  dark-room  to  the  business  offices. 
She  is  the  star,  author,  director,  and  technician,  while 
with  Jack  J.  Clark  she  is  also  an  equal  owner  of  the  en- 
terprise. 

In  addition,  Gene  Gauntier  has  written  ninety-five 
per  cent,  of  the  scenarios  of  the  productions  in  which 
she  has  appeared.  Perhaps  the  best  of  her  portrayals 
were  her  Irish  colleens  and  her  Virgin  Mary,  the  last 
of  which  the  writer  was  not  enabled  to  see  until  the 
spring  of  1914. 

Miss  Gauntier  was  wedded  to  her  leading  man,  Jack 
J.  Clark,  in  Jerusalem,  Palestine,  in  1912. 

Henry  Otto  was  born  in  St.  Louis  and  educated  for 
priesthood  at  Birmingham,  Ala.  Otto  was  obliged  to 
hunt  around  for  a  living,  and  for  four  years  was  an 
expert  accountant.  Possessed  of  a  fine  baritone  voice, 
he  attracted  the  notice  of  a  manager  of  a  traveling 
opera  company,  and  went  on  the  road,  taking  the  bari- 
tone roles.  He  was  helped  in  this  by  having  sung  in 
Catholic  choirs.  The  engagement  gave  him  lots  of  ex- 
perience, although  stranded  in  Iowa.  Later  he  was  in 
Richard  Mansfield's  company  in  "Old  Heidelberg,"  and 
has  been  in  a  number  of  stock  companies  in  St.  Louis, 
Chicago,  Seattle,  and  other  cities.  He  was  with  the 
original  Edwin  Stevens  "Devil"  Company,  in  which  he 
played  in  New  York  and  on  the  road,  and  he  went  over 
the  Orpheum  circuit  with  Minnie  Seligman  in  "The 


364 Cfte 

Drums  of  Doom."  There  came  a  desire  to  settle  down 
and  live  at  home  with  his  mother,  and  he  went  into 
pictures  and  was  under  Thomas  Ricketts,  of  the  Nes- 
tor Company  for  one  year,  playing  leads.  He  next 
joined  the  Selig  Polyscope  Company  in  California,  and 
played  a  variety  of  parts  with  that  company  for  two 
years,  and  he  also  directed  his  first  picture  there.  He  is 
now  a  member  of  the  American  Film  Company,  at  San- 
ta Barbara,  Cal.  He  writes  most  of  his  productions. 
"A  Will  o'  the  Wisp,"  written  and  produced  by  Otto 
during  the  flood  disaster  at  Long  Beach  in  1914,  as  a 
four-reel  feature  for  the  Balboa  Company,  created  a 
sensation  at  the  recent  exposition  in  New  York. 

Carlyle  Blackwell  is  probably  the  youngest  motion 
picture  male  star  in  the  moving  picture  field,  for  he  is 
still  in  his  twenties  and  has  managed  to  crowd  a 
wealth  of  experience  into  a  few  years.  His  birthplace 
is  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  and  he  got  the  "stage  bug"  while 
studying  at  Cornell,  making  his  entry  into  a  dramatic 
career  at  Elitch's  Gardens,  Denver.  From  Denver,  he 
joined  the  Keith  &  Proctor  stock  company  in  New 
York,  playing  juveniles.  Then  followed  several  sea- 
sons in  and  out  of  New  York  in  the  "Gay  White  Way," 
"Brown  of  Harvard,"  and  "Right  of  Way."  His  work 
attracted  attention  and  he  received  a  flattering  offer 
from  the  Vitagraph  Company,  which  led  him  to  adopt 
the  moving  pictures  as  a  profession.  After  some 
months  he  joined  the  Kalem  Company,  with  whom  he 
acted  and  directed  for  upwards  of  three  years.  Of  the 
photoplays  he  has  acted  in  he  prefers  "The  Redemp- 
tion," "The  Invaders,"  "The  Honor  System,"  "Intem- 
perance," "Fate's  Caprice,"  and  "The  Wayward  Son." 

Blackwell  is  a  favorite  with  the  public  and  num- 
bers his  professional  friends  by  the  hundred,  for  he 


of    Science 


is  cheerful  and  good  tempered.  He  is  one  of  the  best 
dressed  men  on  and  off  the  stage,  and  has  to  keep  a 
secretary  to  attend  to  his  mail.  He  owns  a  beautiful 
home,  where  he  is  fond  of  entertaining  his  friends, 
and  is  especially  fond  of  society  dramas  and  light  com- 
edies. Fortune  has  favored  him  with  ability,  good 
looks  and  energy,  and  although  his  popularity  is  as- 
sured, his  important  career  is  ahead  of  him.  Carlyle 
Blackwell  has  accepted  an  engagement  with  the  Fa- 
mous Players'  Company,  where  it  is  expected  he  will 
have  a  greater  opportunity  than  ever  before. 

<&       $?       <& 

Thomas  Ricketts,  dramatic  producer  with  the  Amer- 
ican Film  Company,  was  born  in  Kent,  England,  com- 
ing from  a  long  line  of  actors,  musicians,  and  artists. 
Of  the  latter,  on  his  mother's  side,  were  Joshua,  Arthur, 
and  John  Penniall,  celebrated  in  their  day.  Of  the  stage 
were  William  Ricketts  and  family,  members  of  the  old 
Drury  Lane  and  Sadler's  Wells  theatres,  London,  and 
associated  with  the  Siddons,  Phelps,  et  al.  Of  the  mu- 
sicians there  was  a  longer  line.  His  father,  Robert 
Ricketts,  was  the  leading  musician  of  his  day. 

Ricketts  came  to  America  the  latter  part  of  the  70's, 
and,  until  seven  years  ago,  he  has  been  actor,  stage 
director,  author  and  producer  without  intermission  for 
the  leading  New  York  managers,  i.  e.,  Charles  Froh- 
man,  Klaw  &  Erlanger,  the  Shuberts,  the  New  York 
Casino,  the  Garrick,  Daly's,  etc.,  making  during  that 
time  many  Broadway  productions. 

Seven  years  ago  he  was  induced  to  play  the  part  of 
Scrooge  in  "A  Christmas  Carol"  for  the  Essanay  Com- 
pany in  Chicago.  This  was  his  first  experience  in  mov- 
ing pictures. 


366 Cfte   Cfteatte 

Success  was  so  pronounced  he  quit  the  stage  for  the 
silent  drama  and  became  the  Essanay's  chief  dramatic 
producer,  in  which  capacity  he  remained  for  several 
years.  Leaving  that  company  he  organized  the  first 
acting  company  for  the  American,  and  produced  their 
first  releases.  Leaving  that  company  he  assumed  the 
directorship  of  the  Nestor  Company  with  David  Hors- 
ley,  where  for  a  year  and  a  half  he  produced  the  feature 
films  of  that  brand.  The  consolidation  of  the  Univer- 
sal changed  the  existing  conditions  and,  after  a  few 
months,  he  withdrew  and  rejoined  the  American. 

Mr.  Ricketts  stands  alone  in  the  distinction  of  hav- 
ing produced  the  famous  one-thousand-feet-no-stop  pic- 
tures, that  is,  one  entire  scene  of  a  thousand  feet  with- 
out a  stop  or  sub-title.  Motion  picture  followers  will 
recall  the  earlier  Essanay  releases,  "Justified,"  "Grati- 
tude," "The  Adventuress,"  "A  Woman's  Wit,"  and 
similar  productions,  produced,  written  and  acted  in  by 
Ricketts,  in  which  there  was  no  change  of  scene  for 
one  thousand  feet  of  film. 

There  are  many  photoplayers,  authors  and  directors 
whose  contribution  to  the  present  status  of  moving 
pictures  as  an  entertainment  entitle  them  to  far  more 
space  in  the  present  volume  than  can  be  allotted.  To 
wholly  ignore  them  here,  even  with  the  assurance  of 
a  second  volume,  would  present  an  incongruity. 

With  no  less  than  sixty  new  stars  of  the  screen  re- 
corded in  the  past  six  months,  half  as  many  more 
risen  from  the  ranks  to  stellar  position  while  the 
work  is  in  the  process  of  making  and  with  the  spec- 
tacle of  the  unknown  of  yesterday  on  view  as  the  ce- 
lebrity of  to-day,  one  may  comprehend  why  the 
American  play  producer  is  looking  to  the  English 
stage  for  new  acting  timber.  Laura  Sawyer,  long 


of    Science 36? 

with  the  Edison  Company,  and  recently  with  the  Fa- 
mous Players'  organization,  though  successful  on  the 
speaking  stage,  became  famous  almost  from  the  day 
she  entered  the  film  studio.  Miss  Sawyer's  portray- 
als for  the  screen  were  usually  of  that  character  re- 
quiring something  more  than  mere  stage  experience, 
and  in  one  production,  "The  Daughter  of  the  Hills," 
she  gave  an  interpretation  of  a  difficult  role  with  con- 
summate artistry  and  fine  discernment  in  that  Miss 
Sawyer's  effects  were  accomplished  without  resort  to 
stagecraft — in  fact,  here  was  silent  acting  and  repres- 
sion combining  to  simulate  "the  actuality."  This  is 
the  one  effect  that  the  famous  stage  players  invarably 
fail  to  achieve  in  the  film  studio. 

How  many  seasoned  playgoers  have  ever  heard  of 
Ford  Sterling  up  to  very  recently?  Probably  not  one 
per  cent,  of  New  York's  theatregoers  know  Sterling  by 
name  even  to-day,  yet  here  we  have  a  screen  star  who 
would  not  change  places  with  John  Drew  or  Willie 
Collier,  nor  would  he  care  to  risk  an  exchange  of  pay 
envelopes  on  salary  day  with  either.  Will  the  won- 
ders of  filmdom  never  cease?  As  recently  as  a  year 
ago,  Sterling  was  quietly  entrenched  in  the  Keystone 
organization.  His  name  may  have  been  known  to 
those  who  read  the  "trade  issues,"  but  surely  he  was 
not  extensively  advertised.  Now  Ford  Sterling  heads 
one  of  the  Universal  Company's  newer  brands  of  film 
and  is  extensively  advertised  as  the  funniest  man  in 
the  moving  picture  field — a  claim  that  few  of  us  will 
wish  to  question.  Can  any  one  doubt  that  conditions 
are  different  in  the  two  modes  of  entertainment  when 
a  recently  struggling  actor  becomes  a  screen  celebrity 
almost  over  night,  and  finds  his  weekly  salary  in- 
creased one  thousand  per  cent  and  not  undeservedly? 


368 Cfte   C&eatte 

Perhaps  the  writer  is  unfamiliar  with  the  stage  ca- 
reers of  some  of  the  stars  of  the  newer  field,  yet  from 
1890  to  1907  his  own  line  of  endeavor  brought  him  in 
contact  with  practically  every  recognized  thespian  in 
this  country.  Nevertheless,  when  visiting  the  studios 
and  important  gatherings  of  screen  folk,  a  familiar  face 
was  rarely  on  view. 

William  Garwood  and  Harry  Benham,  long  with  the 
Thanhouser  Company  (the  former  now  playing  "leads" 
with  the  American  brand  of  films),  came  to  the  first- 
named  company  at  a  period  when  a  three-figure  salary 
was  unknown  in  the  studios.  To-day  both  are  fea- 
tured to  an  extent  which  leads  one  to  believe  that  pro- 
longed service  in  one  organization,  so  much  in  evi- 
dence in  filmdom,  is  rewarded  to  a  greater  degree  than 
on  the  speaking  stage. 

James  Cruze  has  been  a  Thanhouser  star  for  nearly 
three  years.  If  he  ever  played  for  any  other  film  com- 
pany, I  cannot  recall  it,  nor  do  I  recall  Mr.  Cruze's 
stage  career ;  yet  the  instant  he  began  to  face  the  cam- 
era important  roles  were  meted  out  to  him.  Not  al- 
ways was  this  intelligent  actor  well  cast,  however.  Ar- 
tistic and  picturesque  in  his  Dickens  portrayals  as  he 
was  when  it  came  to  "Dr.  Jekyll  and  Mr.  Hyde/'  Mr. 
Cruze  was  wholly  miscast.  This  performance  merely 
reflected  lack  of  physique  and  illusion.  Some  one  has 
said  that  any  fair  actor  could  score  in  this  dual  role. 
Cruze  is  more  than  a  fair  actor,  but  he  failed  to  pre- 
sent the  contrasts  so  typical  of  the  two  characters.  So 
did  that  great  actor,  Daniel  Bandman,  who  made  peo- 
ple forget  where  they  were  as  "Shylock,"  but  Band- 
man's  " Jekyll"  was  forced  in  its  apparent  contrast  to 
the  ferocious  and  cruel  "Hyde."  With  Cruze  the  oppo- 
site effect  resulted—his  "Jekyll"  was  too  goody-goody 


of    Science  369 

to  seem  real;  while  the  kindly,  ingratiating  personal- 
ity of  the  player  was  scarcely  concealed  in  his  concep- 
tion of  the  monster  Hyde.  Here  was  evidence,  too,  that 
the  camera  will  reveal  the  incongruity  as  surely  as  it 
will  the  blemish. 

Edgar  Jones,  of  the  Lubin  Company,  like  Romaine 
Fielding  and  Harry  C.  Myers,  of  the  same  organiza- 
tion, not  only  plays  the  "leads"  in  many  of  its  impor- 
tant releases  but  he  also  directs  the  majority  of  the 
productions  in  which  he  appears,  often  contributing 
the  scenarios  as  well.  It  is  in  this  triple  capacity  that 
prolonged  service  to  one  film  organization  is  fittingly 
rewarded  financially. 

The  productivity  of  Edgar  Jones  presents  the  best 
reason  why  lurid  melodrama  of  the  kind  that  was  wont 
to  enthrall  in  popular-priced  playhouses  up  to  four 
years  ago  no  longer  has  an  appeal.  It  is  not  a  strange 
condition  when  one  considers  the  superiority  of  the 
film  thriller — with  each  scene  staged  as  if  it  were  a  play 
by  itself.  Al  H.  Woods  was  quick  to  grasp  the  signifi- 
cance of  things  when  he  "called  in"  a  dozen  of  his 
melodrama  companies.  But  Woods  proved  that  he  can 
meet  such  an  issue  by  his  productions  of  Bayard  Veil- 
ler's  "Within  the  Law"  and  Michael  Morton's  "The 
Yellow  Ticket." 

Woods  saw  that  it  must  be  a  two-dollar-a-seat  melo- 
drama or  none  to  compete  with  the  science  thriller 
released  from  the  film  studios.  In  another  year  or  so 
the  directors  of  photoplays  hope  to  eclipse  the  two- 
dollar-a-seat  production  such  as  Mr.  Woods  has  scored 
with  so  emphatically,  and  I  will  not  be  surprised  to 
see  D.  W.  Griffith  and  Thomas  Ince  produce  melo- 
dramas within  twelve  months  that  will  attract  the 


370 Cfre 

public,  even  though  prices  of  admission  are  as  high 
as  in  the  first-grade  playhouses. 

That  the  "two-dollar  photoplay"  will  come  from  the 
efforts  of  the  established  film  manufacturers  rather 
than  as  a  result  of  the  final  recognition  of  the  camera 
man  by  the  barons  of  Long  Acre  Square  is  indicated 
already  through  the  financial  outcome  of  more  than 
one  of  the  much  heralded  film  undertakings  of  the 
latter. 

The  gentlemen  who  were  so  reluctant  to  recognize 
the  modern  trend  until  confronted  with  the  problem 
of  meeting  their  financial  obligations  have  not  seem- 
ingly prospered  in  the  newer  field.  One  of  the  most 
pretentious  of  the  newcomers  has  already  abandoned 
film  producing;  another  whose  proclamation  presaged 
a  revolutionizing  of  the  moving-picture  field  has  dis- 
posed of  his  film  interests  after  two  productions  which 
iailed  to  score,  while  still  another — perhaps  the  one 
most  was  expected  from — has  discovered  that  theat- 
rical successes  which  have  had  their  day  in  stage- 
land  when  unaccompanied  with  the  moving-picture 
"punch,"  make  little  appeal  in  these  days  of  such  pro- 
ductivity, as  "Judith  of  Bethulia,"  "Captain  Alvarez," 
"A  Million  Bid,"  "Antony  and  Cleopatra,"  "Cabiria," 
and  many  other  offerings  of  the  established  producers 
of  moving  pictures. 

The  day  has  passed,  perhaps  never  to  return,  when 
the  name  of  a  stage  celebrity  alone  will  attract  the 
public.  Charles  Frohman  is  so  well  aware  of  this  con- 
dition that  aside  from  Maude  Adams  and  John  Drew, 
who  still  attract  though  by  no  means  as  of  yore,  the 
largest  producer  for  the  stage  has  fewer  stars  for  the 
season  of  1914-15  than  in  any  year  since  he  began  his 
long  and  honorable  managerial  career. 


of^cience  371 

But  simultaneously  with  the  decline  in  the  vogue  of 
the  celebrities  of  the  stage  came  the  decision  of  the 
film  producers  to  exploit  the  most  talented  and  popu- 
lar photoplayers,  and  now  the  electric  signs  in  front  of 
the  nation's  playhouses  emblazon  with  such  names  as 
Florence  Lawrence,  Gene  Gauntier,  Maud  Fealy,  Bar- 
bara Tennant,  Alice  Joyce,  Florence  Turner,  John 
Bunny,  Maurice  Costello,  Kathlyn  Williams,  Bessie 
Eyton,  Marion  Leonard,  Romaine  Fielding,  Harry  C. 
Myers,  and  a  score  more  of  equally  compelling  names, 
not  one  of  which,  however,  was  wont  to  conjure  in 
theatredom  as  recently  as  two  years  ago. 

Florence  Lawrence  has  the  reputation  of  being  the 
highest  salaried  screen  star  of  her  sex.  Miss  Law- 
rence has  gone  from  one  film  company  to  another  dur- 
ing the  past  seven  years,  always  increasing  in  popular- 
ity and  adding  to  the  amount  in  her  pay  envelope.  Nor 
has  her  persistent  progress  been  impeded  through  the" 
coming  into  filmdom  of  famous  stage  players. 

Like  Mary  Pickford,  Marion  Leonard  and  a  few  of 
their  colleagues  who  entered  filmdom  about  the  same 
time  Miss  Lawrence  did,  the  latter  is  a  greater  attrac- 
tion to-day  than  ever  before,  and  the  multiple-reel  pro- 
ductions of  the  Victor  brand,  in  which  she  is  featured, 
are  of  that  kind  the  exhibitors  fight  for. 

Frederick  Mace  I  recall  as  one  of  Harry  Askin's 
comedians  in  the  productions  of  musical  comedies  that 
were  invariably  first  presented  in  the  Askin  playhouse 
in  Chicago.  Mace  is  just  another  one  of  the  many 
comic  opera  and  musical  comedy  artists  who  have 
found  a  tremendous  vogue  on  the  screen. 

Long  with  the  American  Biograph  Company,  Mace 
was  one  of  that  incomparable  quartet  of  comedians 
who  gave  to  that  company's  output  individuality. 


Cfte   Cfteatte 


When  the  Keystone  Film  Company  was  organized, 
Mace  was  not  only  given  greater  opportunity,  but  the 
embargo  on  publicity  which  the  Biograph  Company 
maintained  vigorously  was  now  lifted,  and  Mace  be- 
came a  celebrity  in  name,  though  his  face  was  already 
familiar  to  seventy-five  per  cent,  of  mankind. 

In  the  early  part  of  1914  Mace  decided  that  the  time 
was  ripe  for  his  advent  as  a  producer  of  his  own  films. 
Like  so  many  of  his  successful  colleagues,  Mace  wrote, 
directed  and  acted  in  the  majority  of  the  productions 
released  by  the  Keystone  Company;  therefore  he  felt 
well  equipped  for  the  producing  end  of  the  industry 
when  he  organized  the  Fred  Mace  Film  Company.  In 
May  of  this  year  Mace  came  to  New  York  from  his 
studio  at  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  for  the  purpose  of  placing 
the  first  releases  of  his  own  film  company  on  the  mar- 
ket; but  while  in  the  metropolis  the  comedian  was  so 
importuned  by  other  producers  to  join  their  forces  that 
at  the  time  of  this  writing  his  future  plans  are  some- 
what befogged.  In  the  same  month  Mace  sailed  for 
Europe,  where  it  is  likely  he  will  establish  outlets  for 
the  Mace  productivity. 

Edward  Sedgwick,  who  is  now  playing  comedy  leads 
with  the  Lubin  Company  under  the  direction  of  Ro- 
maine  Fielding,  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  charac- 
ters among  the  younger  comedians  now  playing  for 
the  pictures.  He  comes  from  a  family  of  actors  and 
has  been  on  the  stage  since  he  was  four  years  old.  He 
says  of  himself:  "I  was  born  in  Galveston,  Texas, 
November  7,  1889,  and  went  on  the  stage  when  I  was 
four  years  old,  doing  a  singing  specialty  in  my  father's 
company,  known  in  those  days  as  the  "Sedgwick  Com- 
edy Company."  I  played  child  parts  and  did  vaude- 
ville acts  with  the  .company  until  I  was  seven  years 


of    Science 373 

old,  when  I  was  given  my  first  comedy  part — that  of 
an  Irish  immigrant — in  a  comedy  written  by  my  fa- 
ther called  'Just  Over/  During  this  time,  however,  I 
was  only  on  the  stage  during  the  summer  months. 
Every  winter  my  father  took  me  back  to  Galveston  and 
sent  me  to  school." 

Mr.  Sedgwick  graduated  from  St.  Mary's  Univer- 
sity of  Galveston,  and  was  then  sent  to  the  Peacock 
Military  College  at  San  Antonio,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated with  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant.  During  his 
sophomore,  junior,  and  senior  years,  he  was  recognized 
as  the  best  tactician  in  the  corps,  and  won  his  medal 
as  such.  After  graduation,  he  seriously  contemplated 
a  military  life  as  his  profession,  but  the  lure  of  the 
stage  proved  the  stronger,  and  in  the  end  he  joined  his 
family  in  a  troupe  known  as  "The  Five  Sedgwicks." 
The  troupe  consisted  of  father  and  mother  and  two 
sisters.  They  played  the  two-a-day  in  a  comedy  sketch, 
"Jerry  the  Booby  Boy." 

Forced  to  close  the  act  through  the  father's  illness, 
Sedgwick  went  into  musical  comedy  and  soon  had  a 
company  of  his  own,  known  as  "The  Cabaret  Girls," 
produced,  directed,  and  managed  by  himself.  In  this 
triple  capacity,  Mr.  Sedgwick  was  very  successful,  and 
it  was  only  after  repeated  offers  from  Romaine  Field- 
ing that  he  was  induced,  at  the  end  of  his  third  success- 
ful season,  to  close  his  company  and  become  a  photo- 
player. 

*        *        * 

Margarita  Fischer  was  born  in  the  Missouri  Valley, 
Iowa,  and  her  family  moved  west  to  Salem,  Oregon, 
while  she  was  a  baby.  When  she  was  eight  years  old, 
a  manager  persuaded  her  father  to  let  the  child  take  a 


Cfte    Cfteatre 


part  in  "The  Celebrated  Case,"  which  he  did  unwilling- 
ly, but  her  talent  and  charm  were  such  that  he 
decided  to  let  Margarita  adopt  the  stage  as  a  profes- 
sion. After  a  series  of  child  parts  Mr.  Fischer  formed 
a  company  featuring  Miss  Fischer  and  assumed  the 
management,  and  from  that  day  to  this  she  has  always 
been  a  popular  favorite  and  never  idle.  The  company 
toured  for  seven  years,  Margarita  playing  the  leads 
and  her  elder  sister,  known  as  Mary  Scott,  taking  the 
character  parts.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  Margarita, 
who  up  to  that  time  had  been  known  as  Babe  Fischer, 
put  her  foot  down  and  insisted  upon  being  known  as 
Margarita,  as  she  was  taking  parts  in  long  trains;  in 
fact,  their  repertoire  covered  every  conceivable  style 
and  variety  of  play,  the  finest  education  a  young 
actress  can  have.  One  day  she  would  be  Mary  Magda- 
lene and  the  following  night  romp  through  Topsy  in 
"Uncle  Tom's  Cabin."  Then  her  father  died  and  Mar- 
garita took  the  fortunes  of  her  family  into  her  own 
small  hands  and  secured  an  engagement  to  play  leads 
with  Walter  Sanford  in  San  Francisco.  After  a  period 
of  stock  she  and  Harry  Pollard  toured  the  country 
with  a  vaudeville  sketch  entitled  "When  Hearts  Were 
Trumps."  She  also  took  leads  with  T.  Daniel  Frawley 
and  played  with  Grace  George  at  the  Grand  Opera 
House,  Chicago.  Following  this  she  was  starred  by 
Joseph  M.  Patterson  in  "By  Products." 

Margarita  Fischer  then  started  with  Harry  Pollard 
in  their  association  with  the  motion  pictures  and  ac- 
cepted an  engagement  with  the  Selig  Polyscope  Com- 
pany, where  they  remained  for  nine  months.  Then 
they  went  to  Arizona  with  the  American  and  left  to 
join  the  Imp  Company,  then  came  west  with  the  Imp, 
and  when  the  company  became  an  integral  part  of  the 


o  t    Science 375 

Universal,  Miss  Fischer  played  under  the  Nestor  and 
then  the  Rex  brands.  This  led  to  the  flattering  offer 
from  the  American  Company  and  their  alliance  with 
the  Mutual  program  under  the  new  brand  known  as 
the  Beauty  series  of  film. 

Louise  Glaum,  the  clever  little  comedienne  who  is 
playing  opposite  to  Universal  Ike  Carney,  was  born  in 
Washington,  D.  C.,  which  probably  accounts  for  her 
diplomacy,  for  Louise  never  quarrels  with  anyone,  she 
settles  everything  with  a  smile.  Her  parents  were  Ger- 
man and  they  brought  her  to  Los  Angeles  while  yet 
a  baby  and  there  she  was  educated.  She  went  into  the 
dramatic  profession  because  she  thought  she  might  as 
well  do  that  as  anything  else  and  not  because  she  was 
enamored  of  it.  In  fact,  she  played  the  ingenue  part 
in  "Why  Girls  Leave  Home"  to  emphasize  the  idea. 
She  made  very  good  and  went  to  Chicago  and  played 
there  in  "The  House  of  a  Thousand  Candles"  and  other 
plays. 

Then  came  a  period  of  stock  with  the  Imperial  Stock 
Company  with  Augustin  MacHugh,  who  wrote  "Offi- 
cer 666,"  and  in  which  Louise  played  the  ingenue  part 
in  the  West.  Miss  Glaum  came  to  Los  Angeles  and 
joined  the  Auditorium  Stock  Company  and  finally  went 
into  motion  pictures,  taking  the  comedy  leads  with  Al. 
E.  Christie,  of  the  Nestor  Company.  She  was  with  the 
Kay  Bee  for  some  time  and  took  leads  with  Carlyle 
Blackwell  in  the  Kalem  Company. 

William  Garwood  was  born  at  Springfield,  Mo.,  and 
was  educated  at  Drury  College  in  that  town,  where 
he  took  the  prizes  for  dramatic  readings,  oratory  and 
for  several  branches  of  athletics. 

He  made  his  start  at  Elitch's  Gardens,  in  Denver, 
where  he  played  juveniles  in  stock.  Then  came  a  sea- 


376 C&e   Cfteatte 

son  with  Virginia  Harned  in  New  York,  followed  by 
an  engagement  with  Charles  Frohman,  during  which 
time  he  acted  in  "Mizpah"  and  "Just  Out  of  College." 
He  has  also  appeared  with  Kyrle  Bellew  and  with  S. 
Miller  Kent  in  "Raffles,"  as  well  as  with  Dustin  Far- 
num  in  "Cameo  Kirby."  Added  to  this  Mr.  Garwood 
had  several  stock  engagements. 

His  first  appearance  in  pictures  was  a  three-years' 
engagement  with  Thanhouser  and  the  Majestic,  during 
which  time  he  lead  in  some  of  the  best  pictures  pro- 
duced by  these  companies  and  thereby  became  a  uni- 
versal favorite. 

William  Garwood  owns  many  acres  in  San  Fernando 
Valley  and  has  a  prosperous  onion  farm  there.  He 
recently  joined  the  American  Company,  with  which 
he  is  being  featured. 

It  does  not  often  happen  that  a  man  so  well  endowed 
with  good  looks  chooses  to  obscure  them  in  character 
make-ups  as  is  Earl  Metcalfe's  preference ;  but  the  de- 
lineation of  the  unusual  in  human  nature  appeals 
strongly  to  the  young  Lubin  actor,  and  it  is  in  such 
roles  that  he  has  won  his  greatest  spurs. 

Studious,  ambitious,  keenly  observant,  his  talents 
are  rapidly  maturing  at  an  age  when  most  photoplay- 
ers  are  only  feeling  their  way.  People  are  his  never- 
ending  study,  and  after  them  come  the  plays  of  Ibsen 
and  the  stories  of  Poe  and  Kipling.  Subscriptions  for 
every  publication  devoted  to  the  photoplay  keep  him 
informed  on  every  point  before  the  film  world.  His 
interest  is  unflagging,  his  study  unceasing,  his  modesty 
invariable. 

Earl  Metcalfe's  destiny  can  lead  him  nowhere  but 
the  heights.  He  can  pronounce  "Abgergevenny"  just 
as  readily  as  you  and  the  rest  of  the  world  can't.  That's 


at    Science 377 

because  he  was  born  there.  It  is  somewhere  in  Wales, 
and  he  left  it  and  sailed  for  the  States  as  soon  as  he 
heard  of  the  stars  and  stripes  and  Cincinnati.  He  was 
educated  in  the  university  of  that  city,  studied  for 
West  Point,  then  he  changed  his  mind  about  wanting 
to  be  a  soldier  and  decided  upon  the  stage  as  a  profes- 
sion. That  was  twelve  years  ago  and  since  then  he  has 
played  in  big  city  stock,  was  leading  man  for  Stella 
Hammerstein  and  juvenile  man  for  Zelda  Sears.  He  is 
a  writer  of  short  stories,  but  first  of  all,  he  is  one  of 
the  Lubin  Company's  very  best  men  at  their  Eastern 
studio. 

Myrtle  Stedman  was  born  in  Chicago  and  was  edu- 
cated there.  She  studied  elocution  and  voice  culture 
and  being  possessed  of  a  beautiful  voice,  was  trained 
for  the  operatic  stage.  Miss  Stedman  made  her  first 
appearance  at  the  age  of  twelve,  giving  a  solo  dance 
with  the  Whitney  Opera  Company  in  Chicago.  Later 
the  family  moved  to  Black  Hawk,  Colorado,  where 
Miss  Stedman's  father  became  interested  in  mining 
and  the  family  still  possess  a  big  log  house  in  the 
mountains  there.  While  in  Colorado  Miss  Stedman 
used  to  visit  the  Canon  City  Penitentiary  in  order 
to  sing  to  the  convicts. 

Returning  to  Chicago  she  again  joined  the  Whitney 
Opera  Company  as  prima  donna  and  went  on  the  road 
with  them  singing  in  comic  opera  and  musical  comedy, 
and  later  toured  in  concerts. 

Miss  Stedman  first  joined  the  Selig  Polyscope  Com- 
pany, playing  under  Otis  Turner,  and  remained  with 
them  for  four  years  playing  leads.  She  then  joined  the 
Hobart  Bosworth,  Inc.,  and  has  since  been  taking 
leads  in  the  Jack  London  stories.  Jack  London  and 


378 Cf)e    Cfteatre 

Hobart  Bosworth  both  declared  that  she  was  "just  the 
type"  for  his  heroines. 

Pauline  Bush,  who  plays  for  the  Universal 
Company,  was  born  at  Lincoln,  Nebraska.  Her  father, 
uncles,  grandfather  and  brothers  are  all  medical  men. 
Her  mother  is  a  talented  singer  and  musician,  her 
aunts  all  artistic,  readers  or  musicians. 

Educated  in  Virginia  and  brought  up  for  the  oper- 
atic stage  and  concert  platform,  she  preferred  the 
stage.  Being  delicate,  she  went  to  California  and  took 
a  literary  course  in  elocution,  voice  culture  and  Shake- 
speare. 

Miss  Bush  played  in  "stock"  in  California  and  went 
to  New  York  to  join  the  "Kitty  Grey"  Company,  fea- 
turing G.  P.  Huntley  and  Julia  Sanderson;  under- 
studied and  later  played  "Lady  Binfield"  in  that  play. 
Returned  to  California  and  joined  the  Liberty  Theatre 
stock  company  at  Oakland. 

Miss  Bush  started  her  motion  picture  career  with 
the  American  Film  Company  and  took  leads  under  Al- 
lan Dwan's  direction  for  two  years  when  she  went 
with  Dwan  and  J.  Warren  Kerrigan  to  the  Universal, 
where  she  has  now  been  for  over  a  year. 

Miss  Bush  is  a  great  student  of  the  photoplay  and 
very  much  in  earnest,  believes  in  the  power  of  expres- 
sion and  especially  likes  psychological  plays,  although 
is  equally  good  in  light  comedy.  She  has  written  many 
scenarios  and  contributed  to  a  number  of  magazines, 
is  a  splendid  musician,  an  artistic  dresser,  and,  being 
young,  beautiful  and  very  ambitious,  has  a  brilliant 
future. 


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